Cosmopolitan Girl: KHR Style!
by Fish and Chipz
Summary: Hibari x OC. Being Hibari's neighbour and classmate is hard. Who is that 25 year old man in the black suit and purple shirt who keeps stalking her? And why are there weird people wanting to kill her? Life is TOUGH! On indefinite hiatus.
1. Man in the Black Suit & Purple Shirt

**Cosmopolitan Girl: KHR Style!**

Ah, I am shameless for beginning another story when I have chosen to discontinue my other KHR fic; however, my brain has been wracked with dark, twisted and diabolical plot bunnies of death, conspiracy and murder that I started to wonder where my good old days of writing the typical Romance/Comedy stories went.

Since I have already got two 'Cosmopolitan Girl' stories written, I might as well go ahead and write a third for the heck of it, to complete a strange trilogy in which each Cosmopolitan Girl story (that do not even relate to one another) involves an OC who faces the woes of high school life, love lost and found as well as other problems revolving around family, friends etc, etc.

Anyway, this story takes place before KHR Volume 1 even starts! So, I suppose Hibari is a little different (my excuse for an OOC Hibari, heh). I don't own KHR!

**Original Summary:** Being Hibari's neighbour and classmate is tough, and what's with that black suit purple shirt guy who keeps saving her from sticky situations? Hibari x OC

**Chapter 1**

_That Guy in the Black Suit and Purple Shirt_

Namimori in spring truly was spectacular.

It was because of the pink sakura blossom trees that thrived in the shrine path that linked to a shortcut to Namimori Junior High. There were many trees at the very heart of the town and by the train station, the canal, the shrine and the school and many people would spare time in their schedules to appreciate and admire them. Unfortunately, I had no time to marvel any of them and quickly made my way up to Namimori Junior High through the shrine path towards the shortcut, with a piece of bread flapping around in my mouth.

_It's spring already_, I thought with a sigh, as I brusquely power-walked through the path that was covered in sakura blossom petals from the nearby trees, swinging a messenger bag around in my hand as I chewed unceremoniously on my bread slice. _Since when did time fly so fast? …Getting old… Geez…_

I checked my wristwatch promptly and realised that it was five minutes to the bell.

_Ack! I'm late_, I thought to myself again morosely, deciding to pick up my pace. _Why couldn't dad have woken me up earlier?_

Nevertheless, I grinned to myself when the school's building loomed into view. Almost there…

At the very end the path, I squinted my eyes when I realised a man was standing there in the middle. He was adorned in a smart black suit with his hands in his pockets, staring intently at one of the trees.

_Whoa, check this guy out. I've never seen someone so snazzily dressed in this neighbourhood. Must be from the big city._

When I finally passed him on the sakura blossom trail, he turned round, facing me. Our eyes met, and I stopped in my pace without thinking twice. My eyes widened and my mouth opened somewhat in shock.

…_.Hibari Kyouya?_

Indeed, this man looked identical to the neighbourhood autocrat, but he was taller and older.

"….Do I know you?" I couldn't help but blurt out.

When he smirked at me, I blushed and quickly turned away, cupping my sudden flaming cheeks with my hands.

_Yowza, he's a hottie!_ My eye twitched as I swallowed down._ …Aigoo, he looks a lot like Hibari Kyouya. Could they be related? But I didn't know Hibari had any older relatives… _**(1)**

"No." He simply said, after the brief silence. "Not yet."

"Huh?"

"You're going to be late for school if you don't hurry up, herbivore."

"Ah?" I looked over towards the school just to see two members of the Disciplinary Committee began to close the front gates. "OH SHIT!" I quickly took off running, but managed to throw a concerned glance over my shoulder as soon as I reached the foot of the path. I was surprised to realise that he had been watching me the entire time.

…..

"ARGHHH! I'M LATE!"

I woke up with a fierce tug and a loud scream; my head jerking out of the cradle of my arms. I looked up frantically around my surroundings, sweating buckets. I was in my room. A thin ray of sunlight entered through the crack of my curtains, blinding me thoroughly as I squinted up. I was sitting at my desk at the window with a pile of unfinished homework from last night which was sitting in front of me, mocking me with its empty answer boxes. A pen lingered near my left hand beside a piece of paper with blurred black inky outlines in undecipherable writing. I wiped the unceremonious drool from my face and groaned out loud.

"Phew, just a dream…."

I checked my alarm clock. It was fifteen minutes to nine.

"ARGHHH! I'M LATE!"

Without hesitating, I flung myself out of my seat and tore off my banana-in-pyjamas pyjamas, then scrabbled to my closet and pulled out my _haven't-been-washed-for-decades_ school uniform, rubbing at a dark stain that suspiciously resembled tomato ketchup from last night's supper, just on the rim of the skirt. I pulled on a clean pair of underpants and tossed the shirt over my head whilst hoisting the skirt up, hopping on one foot to the other as I pulled and let the elastic waistband snap back around my flabby tummy.

I looked at the clock again. It was eight minutes to nine.

"Stop mocking me!" I yelled furiously.

As soon as I got dressed, I ran out, bustled down the stairs by leaping on top of the stair railing and slid down towards the lounge. Unfortunately I have still not mastered the art of staircase landing despite my many years in this establishment I call Home Sweet Home and I crashed onto the ground, landing face-flat among dad's favourite collection of multi-coloured flip-flops.

"Urh…." I croaked out, spewing out a smelly slipper from my mouth.

A pair of flip-flop feet side-stepped around and lifted me up back onto my feet and I was leisurely dusted off, "Ah, my poor helpless daughter, stop trying to copy those stunts you see on _Ninja Warrior_, didn't I tell you they weren't real?" Dad exclaimed before thrusting a neatly-wrapped bento box into my hands. "Oh, yes, and I packed your favourite octopus-wieners in your lunchbox. Remember to chew before you swallow." **(2)**

"Thanks…" I mumbled out as I stuffed the box into my bag, "Yo dad, why didn't you wake me up?"

"Hey, you're old enough to get up in time." He sighed as he unlocked the front door, while I slipped on my school shoes, before pulling open the door - I had to shield my eyes from the extensive sunlight. He handed me a paper brown bag. "Here's your breakfast."

I quickly rushed out after pecking him briefly on the cheek, glancing over my shoulder to wave back at the man in a haramaki and pink frilly apron, standing at the front door of the two-storey house. Yes, that is my otou-san. This is my hometown Namimori. It's a quaint, dowdy town, with a dowdy town square, a dowdy town market and a dowdy town centre.

Me? Two months ago, I turned 16 years old. There's not a lot to stay about me other than the fact that I don't really do much. But I seem to sleep a lot. And eat a lot. And watch TV a lot. And play video games. I go to school and I managed to find part-time work at a Maid café where it's in my job description to wear a gaudy black and white pinafore dress and bibs and bows.

Aside from that, my life, it's always just been us two – me and dad - so dad took the dual responsibility of being a father AND a mother; I suppose he now has a bit more of a feminine side than he or his genetics originally intended to develop but I don't blame him. In fact, due to that reason I appreciate him more and I also intend, on my behalf, to do well in my studies and hopefully one day be able to land a good job and look after dad in return.

Currently, I attend Namimori Junior High and am presently a proud and decent Second Year student. No, not really. Somehow…. Just _somehow_, I always manage to leave homework to the last minute and I don't have a very good time-keeping record, as proven now…

It was three minutes to the bell, and the school's large building was still only partially in view. Having a dream where you were late for school was weird. I closed my eyes and revelled in the refreshing breeze. If only I was not late, I could've enjoyed a pleasant walk to school. It was such a lovely morning and -

- I collided head-first into something hard and stumbled in my pace.

I bounded back and cursed mentally. Did I forget to mention how clumsy and awfully uncoordinated I am at some inconvenient moments in my life like this one? I rubbed my aching head. Owww, that _really_ hurt…

It seemed, accidentally, I had bumped into someone on my way. I wasn't surprised.

"Oops, so sorry! I didn't mean to bump into you like that! I'm late for school you see, and I'll be in a lot of trouble because my sensei is a mean old crab who seems to hate me with a passion and I can't afford to be in detention again because there'll be trouble and my dad has already enough trouble as it is, raising me up by himself so please accept my humble apology!" I ranted and raved, bowing my head down low to the ground to the person I had bumped into with profound regret.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed something long and silver on the ground which must've knocked out of the person's bag from the impact, and picked it up. Still grinning haplessly, I quickly offered it up back to him.

"Oh, you dropped your tonfa – "

Silence.

I re-opened my eyes and stared down at the smooth, steel rod in my hand.

…_.T-T-T-Tonfa…?_

My jaw dropped.  
Could it really be?

It was.

It wasn't just any tonfa.

It was…

_That fabled tonfa… _

_That belongs t-t-to…_

I looked up –

- to see Hibari Kyouya.

"EEEEK!"

At the sight of him, I squeaked and leapt a few paces back from him and brushed a strand of hair behind my ear, "O-Oh my, I-I-I'm sorry, so dreadfully sorry…um, yeah."

A stony silence spawned between us. I gawped at him, waiting for a response.

I could tell he was not amused. _At all_. "Late again, herbivore. It's the fourth time in a row this week."

"I – "

"Shut up."

I gulped.

Believe it or not, Hibari Kyouya lives next door to me. Yes, you can start laughing now.

He lives in that citadel, guarded by thick, grey-white brick walls so you can't see inside. I heard it's a house that's centuries old, two hundred decades ago or whatever, so it must be quite traditional looking but with a few modern enhancements. The only way in and out is through the thick, wooden front gates. And me and my dad, we don't live that close that I could hear this dude watching TV or playing music or whatever. Our houses were just built close to one another, that was all.

Despite this fact, Hibari Kyouya and I have never really interacted much even though we're in the same class. A part of me wanted to avoid his existence as I had heard the stories but I had hoped they weren't true, because Namimori was such a nice place and it was a shame. Although he lives in the same town as me, I guess I had never paid much attention to him and the stories that revolved around him. Or maybe it was merely my fleeting ignorance that led me to cast a blind eye towards this boy. Nevertheless, I could guarantee that our unfortunate meeting would certainly be not a pleasant one indeed.

I took note of the one clinching, twitching fist that was gripped firmly around the strap of his bag as the red band around the sleeve of his jacket indicating the authority of the terrifying Disciplinary Committee shone brusquely under the sunlight. Hibari Kyouya having anger management problems? Maybe yes.

He closed his eyes and calmly brushed at the sleeves of his jacket, before ripping the tonfa out of my hand. He inspected it for a brief moment. To my astonishment, it retracted into something resembling a small tin can that could hold tuna in a split second, and he slid it unscrupulously up his sleeve.

I stared at Hibari Kyouya blankly.

He stared back.

Then suddenly, his hand shot out and he grabbed my ear with two fingers. Immediately, a tear welled up in my eye. "Ow ow ow ow!" I squeaked, hopping around as he dragged me down the path with my schoolbag hanging off my shoulders. "Ahhh, please, Hibari-san, don't kill me…Let go, please." I managed to simper out. Sobs…What on earth happened to all the justice in this world?"

"Quiet, herbivore. You're coming with me." He lashed at me again, and he continued down the path with me in tow.

I sighed in defeat and lumbered after him, my poor ear still playing hostage in his grasp. _Hmm_, I pondered, as we made our way through the shortcut path through the shrine. _This scenario is identical to my dream this morning. I wonder…_

Curious, I looked behind my shoulder back to the top of the path, wondering if I'd actually see that man who looked like Hibari in my dreams. To my disappointment, he wasn't there.

_It was just a dream after all…_

**Later on…Reception Room, 3rd Floor Namimori Junior High, Old Build…**

"Hello?"

Silence.

"Heeellooo…? Anyone in there?"

He looked away from me.

"Are you even listening to me?"

A few minutes later, when I was about ready to explode, he turned away from the coffee machine and returned back with a steaming mug of espresso in his hand. "I have selective hearing," He said after a long pause, "I choose to shut out the cries of weak herbivores."

I stared at him incredulously. As if I honestly cared what kind of hearing he had! I sighed and rested my chin in the palm of my hand. "Can I go now?"

He ignored me once again and took a sip of his coffee although I was sure the water was one degrees boiling hot. It was amazing he hadn't scalded his tongue yet. Scowling, I got up from my spot, but before I could make my way to the exit, Hibari Kyouya shoved me back down on the sofa AND THEN CLIMBED ON TOP OF ME –

No, not really.

I just have a bit of a perverted mind, that's all. Ahem, sorry. I'll behave, promise.

I sat rigidly in my spot with my hands clasped together just as Hibari prodded at the side of my head with the tip of his tonfa. "Herbivore, what are you grinning about?"

Snapping out of my musings, I looked away to the side absent-mindedly. "…N-Nothing… Please…Can I go?"

"No."

This boy was too crazy and creepy to think any dirty thoughts, even if it was rumoured that every female student attending Namimori High did harbour a secretive frenzied crush on him.

I clutched my bag so tightly myself tightly in terror as he circled round the sofa that if it was really possible, I could've somehow absorbed the bag entirely. He stopped at his desk and pulled out the chair and sat himself down, now raking through the file stack in the tray. I craned my head to him and frowned thoroughly. "Why are you holding me prisoner here? We're both late for class."

The reception room belongs to the all-male Disciplinary Committee. Despite this fact, it's cleaner than I expected and actually has a nice interior that does not scream out 'Lair of the Big Bad Boys of Namimori'; heck, the coffee machine is even fancier than the one in the staff lounge. Hibari, at his desk, briefly skimmed through his paperwork before flicking his eyes to me. "I'm not late. I come here every morning."

Oh, I see. So that was why he was never present for roll call. I watched him drink his coffee, inwardly hoping that he would choke on it.

He added, "You have no consent to leave without my permission."

"So when will you give me permission?"

"When I feel like it."

I got up from my seat, clutched at my tummy and hopped from one foot to the other. "But, dude, I need to pee."

"Address me like that again and I'll bite you to death."

"Okay, okay, sorry: _Hibari-san_, but I really _really_ need to pee."

"That's your problem."

"It's not my fault I have a weak bladder! And what about class – "

"If you cared about school in the first place, then you wouldn't have been late."

"I have my reasons!" I retorted, stamping and flailing around, but my response was met with a cold glare that could freeze water into ice in nanoseconds.

"Such as?"

"I…I…er…" _Slept in? _"…I was robbed."

"On the way?"

"N-No, our house got robbed." I winced inwardly. Gah, I'm such a liar… Father, forgive me!

"By who?"

"H-How the heck would I know? That's the whole point of a robbery, isn't it? You're not supposed to know who they are!"

He glowered at me again and I swallowed, looked down at my lap. He pulled out an empty form from the stack and began to fill it in, the pen in his hand flying over the paper. "And what was stolen?" He said, without looking at me once. "Then again, with your father's income, I suppose nothing in your household is worth much value."

I scowled at him in my seat. Tch! What a jerk!

"Did you report it to the police?"

"Y-Yeah." I lied, nodding, trying to be convincing. "We did. Look, can I go now?"

He ignored me and returned back to his work in silence. I stared at him, trying to suss out what the heck he was even doing. "Hello? Can I go now? Hey…are you even listening to me?" Damn him and his selective hearing.

Suddenly, Hibari got up from his seat with his now empty coffee cup. I sat back in my seat and watched him warily as he sauntered over to the exit – maybe he was going to go wash it in the nearby boy's loo. He shot me a warning glare that said 'Stay there or else I'll bite you to death', before exiting the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

I stayed limp in my seat for a few minutes before realising this would be an excellent opportunity to escape.

I was too scared to use the door in case Hibari would return, and the corridor was only one way so he would catch me easily, so I got up from the sofa and ran to the window. I pulled it open and looked out; the reception room was on the third floor. I instantly became dizzy. It's so…. high up… Gulp… I suppose I could climb over the windowsill, shimmy along the school building's pipe that goes along horizontally, and find one that was attached to the building's exterior vertically and use that to slide back down to the ground. Yeah, that'll do.

But wait! What would happen if Hibari returned back only to find the reception room empty? Surely, I'll be bitten to death. Ahh, well, I'd rather be bitten to death later on than now.

I spied around and found a pipe just a few feet ahead. Haha! I found my escape route! Grinning sleazily to myself, I clasped my hands together and rubbed them thoroughly. Without a second to spare, I climbed out of the window with my bag hanging off my shoulder and let my foot feel around for a hold. I found the ledge and stomped on it a few times. It seemed stable so I slid my other leg out while keeping my eyes closed, my arms clinging onto the curtains for dear life, but then –

Disaster struck! The door to the reception room opened and the Vice-chairman, or second-in-command of the Disciplinary Committee member, called Kusakabe Tetsuya stormed in.

"Hey, you! What the heck do you think you're doing?" He rushed to the open window and I swiftly tried to make my escape.

I screamed and flailed away from his grip. "No, no, no! Let me go!"

He grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and tried to haul me back inside even though I tried to claw at him. "Are you crazy?" Kusakabe yelled, trying to dodge my flying fists of fury, "You'll fall!"

"Let go of me! Hibari will kill me anyway when he comes back!" I screamed, thrashing around wildly and then it happened –

My foot slipped off.

Eh?

A second ago, I was on the ledge, and now my body was a flimsy ragdoll in the air as Kusakabe leaned over the windowsill with an outstretched arm, his eyes widened in horror as he watched on helplessly. I stared at his mixed expression of horror and panic. Would this be the death of me?

"ARGHHHH! SOMEBODY HELP ME! I DON'T WANNA DIE, AHHH, GAWD!"

But I was so young.

And it was an accident.

I was clumsy and being stupid!

I could imagine the headline news the very next day, all about how a daft teenager attempted to climb out of a windowsill from the third storey just to escape from Hibari Kyouya, but ended up slipping and breaking all her bones when she crashed back down to the ground.

But there were so many things I had still to see and do.

Dad and mom still had to get back together after their divorce.  
I had to meet Kazuya, too.  
And now…

It's… _over_?

I squeezed my eyes shut and screamed out, "NO!"

And suddenly, it happened – I had no idea precisely why or what or where or even when, but it did - there was a loud crash and a dark figure came hurtling towards me out of the window of the second storey classroom just below the reception room at the speed of light, and an arm shot out and grabbed hold of me. I was brought into someone's embrace and as we plummeted down to the ground, I stared at up at the one who had saved me – I stared at how protectively and tightly he held me in his strong arms. He was wearing the same black suit with the lavender dress shirt and his cool, steely eyes met mine and I was sure I had seen him before…

"…I-It's you…" I gasped out once I realised, staring up at him with wide eyes. Surprisingly enough, dreams are easy to forget but I remembered everything in that dream this morning. He looked down at me and smirked again, and my jaw dropped. It was definitely the man from my dream before. "It's really you - "

But then my back touched the ground and I crumpled in a heap in the dirt.

"Oof!"

When I opened my eyes, I was alone.

He was gone.

Still blinking in bewilderment, I realised he had let me down gently on the ground carefully, away from the glass fragments on the ground but now had vanished without a trace. I looked around frantically. "….Where…..W-What the - ?" _Where did he go?_ I looked around numbly, a little desperately, my heart still beating madly. What had just happened?

Who was he?

The window to the second floor storey was broken, and Kusakabe, on the third floor, was rubbing at his eyes in disbelief. When he wrenched away his hands, he gawked at me stupidly, but I was sure he had seen the same thing I had. He must have seen the man, too. He was definetely a human, but with insane speed and flying abilities, and he saved me. So that means, he was, a superhuman. Or maybe he was just a teacher at this faculty? I felt a bad taste in the mouth and shook my head clear of those thoughts.

Ridiculous, I thought. There was no way. No… He wasn't a teacher, or an angel. He was…

…. A _superhero_?

"Kazama-san! Are you alright?" Kusakabe managed to yell out despite his state of utter confusion.

"Y-Yeah…" I muttered out, although he didn't hear me from all the way up at his level. I looked around the empty playground.

Of course I was alright.

I had just been saved.

By a tall and handsome stranger, in a black suit and purple shirt.

* * *

(1) 'Aigoo', according to the Urban dictionary, is a Korean word expressing frustration and exhaustion, like 'Geez' or 'Aww, man'. Nevertheless, the OC isn't Korean. It just sounded so cute when I was writing it :)

(2) Her dad is a bit of an anime dad, ie, he is a bit eccentric, exceptionally proud of his daughter, a bit crazy but also a bit of a drama queen and a really good cook!

Here are the general warnings for the overall story which you should take into account before you proceed:

**WARNINGS:**

Awkward/Embarrassing situations!

Hormonally-challenged Hibari!

…erm, that's all I can think of so far.

**Update:** Someone mentioned that Rin should actually be in high school since she's 16. I actually didn't realise that, but I guess all I can say is that she got held back a year, if that's possible(?)


	2. How Do You Solve a Problem Like Hibari?

Thank you so much for the reviews! :DD You guys are awesome and deserve Hibari plushies!

**Chapter 2**

_How Do You Solve a Problem Like Hibari?_

By the time I ran away from the scene of the 'crime', my head was hammering and I felt a severe swirl of nausea in the pit of my stomach after this morning's encounter so I pulled open my medicine canister and emptied out two tablets onto my palm, then swallowed them down with a few greedy gulps of water from the nearby fountain. It took a few minutes until my headache dissolved away.

Thinking about a certain Hibari Kyouya-san, he used to bully me a few years back before he formed the Disciplinary Committee. He used to kick me, punch me, stomp on me, shove me, try to bury me alive in the sandpit, smack me, slap me, bite me…everything. I suppose forming the Committee brought his attention to terrorise other people, and not just me, because he cast me to the side and ignored me then, and I was Hibari-free until he became my classmate this year.

Everyone's always been asking: How do we solve the problem of Hibari Kyouya? Therefore, the officials of the town came up with a plan to make him more of an asset than a liability - they transformed him into one of Namimori's informal tourist attractions, believe it or not. People have heard stories about a boy who has an entire town wrapped around his little finger and sometimes they pay for a taxi or train or a bus just to come here and pass his house. On speculating Hibari Kyouya's origins, many terrifying tales were born – some people thought he crawled out from the fiery pits of Hell and took on human form of an attractive, juvenile young boy of fifteen years. People even whispered around that _The Omen_ was based on him. Others think that aliens came and abducted the real Hibari Kyouya, then replaced him with a fake.

Whatever it was, it still didn't change the vicious and bleak fact that a prick named Hibari Kyouya was my neighbour and classmate and he would always be there to kick me when I was down.

Despite my unfortunate encounter, I still managed to dazedly run away from Hibari who was heard yelling 'Herbivore!' all the way up from the third floor reception room as soon as he returned only to see it empty of my presence. Well, no, not exactly, but I'm sure Kusakabe Tetsuya had a heck of a hard time trying to explain my disappearance to the Head Prefect since he was the last person who saw me. Instead of telling Hibari that a stranger had flew out of a window and saved me, Kusakabe must have plainly said he let me go.

I ran all the way to my classroom: thankfully, I stared at the only empty seat by the window and realised Hibari was not yet in class – maybe he was dealing with the broken window of the second floor art room which also needed an explanation - so I breathed a sigh of relief and waddled inside.

"You're twenty minutes late for class. Explain yourself."

Ack! I stopped in my pace and turned to Nakamura-sensei who was seated behind the desk. "Ehehe…You wouldn't believe what happened to me this morning, sensei… "

"Enlighten me, Kazama-san. What was it this time? Another talking dog?"

I said, seeking my opportunity since Hibari was not in yet, "Nooo. It went a bit like this - So! There I was, on my way to school when I bumped into Hibari Kyouya who kept me prisoner in the reception room this morning. I tried to escape by climbing out of the window, but then – just at the precise moment, his right-hand man Kusakabe Tetsuya came and I got a fright and slipped and then I was falling to my doom but then this man, who looks a lot like Hibari-san only older and taller, saved me and then I had a really bad headache so I stopped for a few minutes to catch my breath and had a drink of water before finally coming here and - "

"Ridiculous!" She barked, and I winced, "…I won't take that excuse for your latecoming! And where is your homework?" She pointed to the stack of homework that was collected from the start of the class on her desk.

"Um…" I slowly reached into my schoolbag and rummaged around. Then GASP SHOCK HORROR, I couldn't find it! I must've left it back at home... I cringed and hung my head down low. It seemed my life was being ruined and Hibari Kyouya wasn't even there in person to make it happen. "I…I don't have it because - "

"Hm, I suppose you're going to say that Hibari Kyouya _**ate**_ your homework, too?"

Of course, she was saying that out loud because Hibari wasn't here yet. In fact, the whole entire class felt different whenever Hibari wasn't in. The students around me sniggered and I wished the ground would swallow me up.

"Go to your seat, Kazama-san. It's another homework slip for you."

I sulked, realising that I would get no sympathy whatsoever. "…Hai…." Teachers were so unfair… I stormed to my seat, frowning furiously. What seemed to be a bad day was only begging to get worse. I already had a bad morning, and having to bump into Hibari Kyouya was just the catalyst. He must've listed me in his To-Die List now that I'd run away from him, no doubt. Maybe after school he'll be waiting for me, ready to pounce and kill me before disposing of my body behind a dumpster.

I slid into my seat and plopped my head down, sighing. What a morning. I hadn't realised something like this would happen to someone as ordinary as me. Nakamura sensei passed me and I jerked back up immediately. "Get out your textbook, we're on chapter nine." She said, and I nodded sulkily.

I pulled out my book from my bag and opened it to the right page, but my thoughts were astray as we recited through an English poem I hadn't a scooby about. Instead, I looked out the window. Thinking about today's encounter made my heart race, and I felt heat rising to my cheeks.

…_.Would I see him again?_

…..

I couldn't stop thinking about Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy, or BS-PS G, for short. I know, it sounds dodgy. Surprisingly enough, when Hibari returned back to class, everyone looked up, and Nakamura-sensei stood up behind her desk, bowed her bespectacled head down respectfully, only to receive a sharp, profound glare from the prefect. She had kept her eyes trained on the mini Mr Henry vacuum cleaner paper weight that was sitting on her desk the entire time while the rest of the students also refused to make eye contact with Hibari and hid behind their books, yet peered out to watch him make his way to his seat by the window.

He hadn't pestered me for the remainder of the school day although I was sure he never lets go of herbivores he wanted to bite to death. Maybe he was planning something up his sleeve…waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce…

After the bell rang, I tried doing some research on the origins of BS-PS G, but found nothing. The recent months, there were no new teachers at the school. Graduates who applied for teaching placements finished their internship months ago. Applications started again in October. There were only three visitors today – who all came in the afternoon to see the Principal. No visitors were seen lurking around in the old school building. And anyone who goes to the school for whatever reason has to enter through the school office, talk to the receptionist and sign in, get a visitor's badge or some form of identification. If they don't, they may get arrested for trespassing or for other ominous rationales.

Frustrated that I could not precisely pinpoint the origins of BS-PS G or his reason for showing up at the school in the first place and saving my sorry immature ass, I retired home, depressed.

I sighed and looked up at the darkening sky. "… Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy… Who are you really? Maybe you're a secret government agent, sent to protect me? Or maybe you're a visitor from a distant star, sent to research human behaviour?"

It was roughly ten to five as I strutted down the path towards home, rotating my arms that were aching from detention – I had to clean the classroom all by myself. I turned a corner only to hear a few ominous sounds.

_Thwack!_

_Crunch!_

_Blam!_

The sounds of an obvious brawl a distance away made me stop and swerve my head over to my left towards a nearby alleyway. My curiosity got the better of me and I stepped forwards. As I squinted into the darkness, I could determine that there were three of them fighting.

One of them was Hibari Kyouya.

_Urgh. That's it. Day ruined. _

What was going on anyway? Hibari was mindlessly bashing two students with his tonfas; the scene was nothing but a blur of silver steel and blood. The students were unrecognisable as human beings – their faces swollen and limbs broken - they were taking a relentless beating, utterly powerless against his prowess. Oh my god! Was I a witness to bullying, or a crime? What should I do? Immediately, my heart began pumping furiously and my thoughts raced: Don't suffer in silence, it won't stop the violence. What the heck? I was not the one who was getting beat up here! I could turn away and go home, as if nothing happened. But then I'll feel guilty for not doing something. But what if Hibari was beating up these guys because they had done something wrong? No, that logic did not seem to make much sense, either. No-one deserved this. This wasn't justice. I stopped in my tracks entirely.

So what should I do?

Should I step in?

And then what? Get sent away in an ambulance? I was powerless, too. I do not know martial arts to save my hindquarters. And to top it all off, I'm the slowest runner in my class. Oh, what a horrible combination.

"Hey! Kazama-san!"

I looked up. They were waving their arms at me while trying to block Hibari's attacks all at the same time. It was two boys called Mitsukuni and Otogi from our class. Uh-oh.

"Help! Help us!"

I stared at the two like a deer caught in headlights, unsure what to do – and by the time I had moved my hand an inch into my bag to pull out my cellphone - Hibari Kyouya had finally dispatched the last of his foe and kicked his unmoving body to the side. I watched, as Hibari reared back up, swaying slightly. He hobbled over to the two students on the floor and rummaged around the crime scene. Was he… _**robbing**_ them? Was Hibari Kyouya nothing but a petty thief? Sure, I knew he lived by himself, but I did not account for him to steal just to make a living! Was he living in such poor conditions to make drastic and desperate measures?

But then Hibari turned back with something shiny in his hand; two of them, in fact, and I realised that they were knives. Uwwhhaahaat? Did that mean Hibari was the good guy all along? It felt like a kick in the teeth. Hibari returned to the mouth of the alley and dumped the confiscated knives into a transparent Ziploc bag into his bag which was lying beside a discarded cardboard box. He pulled the zip over and slung it over his shoulder. I stared at his bag with a horrible feeling in my gut. What else could he be carrying in there? He smothered away at the flecks of blood from his face, then he turned round and –

I stiffened as soon as his cold eyes met with mine.

"…Kazama Rin, what do you think you're doing…?" He snarled out as he jabbed a tonfa that was dripping with blood and strands of _hair _towards my direction. He seemed to be limping slightly.

I stared shakily at the blood splashed over the steel weapon, and took a nervous step away from the entrance of the alley. I shook my head fiercely and held my bag tighter to myself. "N-Nothing… Y-You're just going to leave them there?"

Hibari tossed an uncaring glance over his shoulder, then winced a little and threw his gaze to his leg.

"But… they might be seriously hurt…"

"…That's not my problem." Hibari grunted out through thick, heavy gasps of air. He looked away from his leg to glower at me. "If you're so worried, call an ambulance."

"F-Fine then. Maybe I will." I clumsily sifted round for my cellphone, which dropped out of my hand as soon as I had pulled it out because my hand was trembling too much, and I bent down quickly to pick it up. I punched in the number and waited. "H-Hello? Yeah, I'd like an ambulance please, for…uh… Namimori, Street 14, Block 45. Twenty minutes? Okay…thank you…"

Just as I hung up, Hibari stepped forwards, swaying slightly, and I hopped back another seemingly safer foot or two away from the raging Prefect. "Whoa, hold it! Don't come any closer! I-I'm not scared of you!" I tried to sound menacing, raising my voice a few higher octaves than normal, and held up my clenched, shaking fists in a threatening stance, "You want some of this? Yeah… You better be scared, 'cos I got plenty right here – "

Hibari took another drunken step forwards. "Don't think about running away from me again, herbivore. I'll catch you and bite you to death." He snarled out; his forehead creased slightly and as he frowned, I could see his bottom lip going taut like leather being stretched. "…In case you forgot, you ran away from me this morning…"

Immediately, I leapt a pace back. "H-Hold it – don't come any closer! I'm warning you!"

But he ignored my warning and inched closer, and closer, and closer, his bundled fists clenching his tonfas tightly at his sides, drip-drip dripping with blood and sweat. His breathing was hard and heavy, his eyes glazed over as he cornered me against the alley walls, towering over me as I began to shrink under him. Uh-oh, I was really in for it now!

"Herbivore – " He croaked out, and then he raised one tonfa-clenching hand in the air -

I squeezed my eyes shut as I braced for the worst, but nothing happened. My eyes flew open in surprise, just in time to see Hibari topple forwards. He fell on top of me. Throttled by his sheer weight, I stumbled a few steps, my back hitting the wall. I let out a slight gasp as Hibari slumped over me entirely, his face landing neatly into the nape of my neck. "…Hey…Get off me! What's wrong with you?" I demanded, a little embarrassedly, as my face went to a rather nice shade of red. His eyes were closed and his arms fell limp, the tonfas dropped out of his hands and clattered to the ground. I blinked in surprise and tried to push him away, but he was too heavy. What on earth did this boy eat?

What was this? Hibari was…_ hurt_…? But how? He was the strongest fighter in school! How could this happen? I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, maybe even a little worried…

"…Hibari?"

He didn't reply. I eyed him curiously, then shook him. Still no response. That's either a good or a bad thing. He was still breathing though, and I let out a sigh of relief. I contemplated whether to dump his half-dead body and leave him to rot until the ambulance came, but inwardly, I knew I was not such a person. I simply could not let that happen. And sending Hibari away in an ambulance would be really ironic. Hibari may have bullied me, and he may have kicked me and punched me and stomped on me and tried to bury me alive in the sandpit when we were younger, and this was possibly the best chance for retribution, but I still could not bring myself to abandon him.

I pondered to myself briefly. _Hibari,_ _what on earth do I do with you?_

At our close proximity, I couldn't help but blush. Hibari had changed a lot over the years. It didn't help the fact that he was still a guy and his warm flesh which was pressed against mine sent cold shivers down my spine. I could smell the putrid, metallic stench of blood off him and his quick, shallow breaths on my shoulder. His hair tickled my chin and I shivered involuntarily once more. Hibari began to slide out of my grasp again and my response was automatic - I could not let him fall – and my arms flew up and around his waist and I pulled him back into me. Surprised at my own actions, I blinked numbly with widened eyes at the semi-conscious Prefect.

This was bad…

I had to hold him a little tighter than I had originally wanted, and I instantly paled as soon as my hands came into contact with something wet and sticky that was crawling down his back…

I pulled my hand back and gasped.

It was coated in Hibari's fresh blood.


	3. My Compassion Brings Me Trouble

This chapter is absolute crack! Enjoy!

**Chapter 3**

_My Compassion Brings Me Trouble_

The ambulance still hasn't come.

Sighing, I checked my wristwatch and realised it had been twenty minutes since I called. I looked down at the unmoving Prefect in my arms, his eyes still closed. "Hibari-san," I said, "…I'm going to get help."

I wasn't sure if he was listening. It was getting really late and I had no choice but to abandon my post and find help. I should've done this a long time ago, I realised, and I mentally scolded myself for being so silly as to wait for the ambulance to come. I should've accounted for possible traffic congestion and any other potential road problems.

However, a tight grip on my arm made me wince and once again, I threw a concerned glance at Hibari. ""W-What's wrong?" I asked, just as his grip tightened. I tried to pry his clammy fingers off my arm. "You want me to go? You don't want me to go? What is it?" Previously, I managed to stop the bleeding by wrapping my jacket around him and the wound on his back. Since then, Hibari hadn't responded to anything at all until now. I had tried yelling in his ear, and I tried pinching his nose, but that didn't work either. Maybe he'd feel that when he wakes up though…

I even wondered if he was really unconscious, as I raised an eyebrow questioningly at his clinching hand on my arm. "Hmph. Well, serves you right. Serves you right for taking such dangerous matters into your own hands."

As if it couldn't get any worse, it began to rain. Without hesitating, I quickly reached over to my bag, which was lying to my right beside Hibari's, and rummaged through, sifting out my umbrella. I pulled it open and settled it over us, in an effort to keep us dry. Regardless, the rain water on the ground began to seep into my skirt and my legs and I shivered at the unpleasant experience.

I sat there for a long, long time…

I was about to close my eyes and fall asleep, when suddenly, Hibari's eyes flew open and he wrenched himself off me. He stood up, looking slightly disoriented, and he glanced down at himself, then at the jacket wrapped around his torso, then at the blood, the umbrella, the bags beside each other - then me. A tight frown crossed his handsome features, and a hand flew to the side of his head. He winced a little, as if trying to figure out what was going on.

I followed him to stand up, "Be careful, you're still hurt – "

Hibari shot me a venomous glare and ripped off my jacket that was around him, then grabbed the ribbon on the front of my uniform and pulled me close to him, our noses almost touching. And with that, my heart began to beat a little faster. The umbrella fell out of my hand, and the rain slowly began to drench us both.

With his cold, steel eyes boring into mine, he hissed out through the pouring rain, "Herbivore, what the hell did you do to me?"

"Me?" I managed to get a grip and spluttered out in disbelief. Furious, I seized his fist on my ribbon and swatted it away. I jabbed my finger at his chest furiously and barked back, "I didn't do anything! If I recall, it was _**you **_who fell on top of me, _**you**_ who grabbed onto me, and _**you **_wouldn't let me go!"

This is what I get for helping someone who was hurt?

"The ambulance should be coming soon." I added, brushing down my shirt and skirt, before bending down to pick up my umbrella and bag. "Since you seem to be fine, I'm going home. Good day!"

We split up…

…Not exactly.

Hibari was walking a foot behind me, with his hands delved into his pockets, his eyes trained on my back the entire time, and I turned round to him, shaking the umbrella in my hand angrily. "Why are you following me, you jerk?"

"…We live on the same street."

I blinked back at him numbly as he stormed past me, "…Oh…yeah, so we do." I uttered out awkwardly, and I scratched at the back of my head in embarrassment, before continuing down my path, with Hibari in front of me a distance or so. We had left just in time to hear the wail of the wicked, howling siren and the flash of red and blue lights as an ambulance rounded the corner and stopped at the entrance of the alleyway. Halfway through the walk home, I stopped and blinked at the pavement.

There was a spot of blood.

Further up, there was another. And another. And another. I looked up, at Hibari, realising he had began to trail blood behind him. Sooner or later, he swerved off his path and crashed against the wall of a random house in the street. I quickly rushed up to him and tried to help him up. "…H-Hibari-san!"

"…I'm fine." He pushed me away with a frown, and adjusted the strap of his bag further up his shoulder, before shoving himself off the wall. I followed him then, trying to keep up with his pace. But then, his legs gave way and he toppled over his front again, revealing a blood-covered hand. I paled and stepped back in fright as a pool of blood began to seep out from him and all over the sidewalk.

_Ack! He wasn't fine after all!_

**Afterwards…**

Hibari stirred on the couch and me and dad went 'ohhhh' at the sight. He opened his eyes and glared at us. "Where the hell am I?" He stiffened, then looked down at himself. He was perfectly bandaged, still with the shirt and jacket wrapped around him

"Hurray! Hibari Kyouya-sama's awake! Sleeping Beauty is finally awake!" Dad exclaimed happily.

I sighed and rolled my eyes, "Hmm, yeah, whatever." I said, as we stood with our arms crossed in front of Hibari as he lay sprawled over our sofa. Nevertheless, I cleared my throat and decided to explain the situation as dad tidied away the first aid kit. "Anyway, you're in my house. We were walking home but you passed out again and so I decided to be a good person and took you here."

Hibari's predicament reminded me a little of an injured deer, like Bambi, except Bambi was cute and deserved sympathy, whereas Hibari was not a deer but the spawn of the devil and not cute at all. However, as Hibari eyed his surroundings warily, a strange sensation wafted through me. I felt embarrassed by our house for once. A guest was here (even if he was Hibari) and I did not know what to do that would make his stay more comfortable, or how to make the house more presentable.

"Rin, now that our guest has awakened, we must be as hospitable as we can for our most valuable Hibari Kyouya-sama!" Dad said, and he jumped into action immediately, "I better put the First Aid kit back – " He swiftly disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving Hibari and I by ourselves.

I swerved my eyes to him cautiously as he inspected himself roughly. _Hmph…Still, this was a really a bad idea right from the beginning…_

"I forgot," He suddenly croaked out as he turned his attention back to me, seemingly satisfied with my dad's handiwork with bandages, ointment and cotton wool, "I forgot you lived in one of the lesser establishments of the neighbourhood." For someone who was injured and could be left to die, he was as insufferable and impulsive as ever. "So…" He added, just before I could speak, "This is your lair, herbivore."

….Lair? My hand clenched. For the sake of my existence, I have no choice but to tolerate him. A part of me inwardly knew that he basked in his carefully aimed insults. He enjoyed seeing people suffer and watching their self-esteem crack. Is he just begging for me to hate him? I assume so, but to his unknown chagrin, I knew it would take more than that to get to me.

My house isn't a 'lair' either. As Hibari graciously pointed out before, dad and I do live in one of the smaller and lesser establishments in the neighbourhood. Many of the other houses nearby are larger. Our house is tiny even though it's two-stories. It has only got two bedrooms, with one small bathroom. Downstairs, we have a large space that is the dining and living room. The living room has two small sofas facing a petite coffee table which we swap for a kotatsu in the winter. Our TV is only 19-inch and stands on a wobbling, poorly-constructed video cabinet we got from an auction house at a relatively cheap price. Then there is my goldfish tank, and a small foldable table with two foldable seats in the dining room, which has doors for the front porch, links to the kitchen, which has a door leading to small untamed yard where dad promised to grow melons in one day.

I turned back to Hibari as he tried to get up. I wasn't quite sure of the situation previously before it dawned to me that Hibari could have received proper treatment if he had waited for that ambulance. Guess he was stubborn enough to NOT be sent away in an ambulance in the very end or else it'd be_** really**_ ironic. _Should've left him to die…should've left him to die… should've left him to die…_

Dad returned to the lounge, "….Hibari-sama, I recommend that you stay here a little longer in case your wound opens up again. And, what do you know? It's almost time for dinner!"

I went limp immediately on the spot and turned to dad in shock. "WHAAAT? You can't be serious!" I fumed, as Hibari got up from the couch and tried to walk. He continued to limp, however, and I frowned and pointed accusingly at him. "I just took him here because I didn't know what else to do! But… _dinner_? I object!" As if Hibari would stay for dinner, anyway!

"Objection overruled. This isn't about you, Rin-chan. It's entirely up to Hibari-sama if he wants to stay here to make sure his back is okay before he returns home. So, what do you think, Hibari-sama?" Dad asked, sounding a little too enthusiastically for his own good, "You can be our guest of honour tonight! Besides, I was also starting to worry that you had forgotten all about your lovely neighbours!"

There was a silence. Hibari's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Please stay!" Dad said, and I felt like kicking him, "We would be thrilled to have you here for dinner! Why, just call this your second home! And when was the last time you came over to our house? Oh, I can't remember!"

And I thought, _Maybe it was because Hibari never did? _

Dad was speaking again. "Ah, now I can die happy. My precious daughter has finally brought a friend back home! I was afraid that there might be something wrong with her."

"D-Dad!" I squawked out, thoroughly embarrassed.

"I don't do dinner." Hibari growled out, and for once, I felt grateful towards him. Although he said that, Hibari moved to sit down at my favourite cushion by the coffee table, spreading his Hibari-germs all over the place. He was already making himself comfortable, the troublesome gnat! What was he thinking? "If I recall correctly… For someone who was robbed this morning, you don't seem that distressed."

There was a slight silence.

Then dad's eyes bulged. "Robbed? When were we – "

Before dad could finish the sentence, I quickly jumped up and grabbed dad's arm. "Ahahaha, dad, uh… Hibari-san's just…er… Never mind, I have an idea! Why don't you show him things we still have in the house…er…ehehehe, yeah."

Dad's expression lit up immediately. "Hey, that's a great idea! Behold, Hibari-sama - our main attractions! In our glorious living room, we have the _Mouldy Sofa of Ten-Years_. In the kitchen, we have the _Cupboard of Strange-Things_ and the _Refrigerator of All-Sorts-of-Food_. In the dining room, we have _the Foldable Table of Mah-Jong_ and the _Fishtank of the __**Shadowlord**_." He said, concluding the tour by pointing to my suicidal goldfish that was lying gloomily in the bottom of its bowl.

Ah, I had somehow managed to manipulate dad's surprisingly short attention span. Oh… I feel bad… But still…Phew, that was close. Nevertheless, my face went a rather nice shade beet red. I felt betrayal from all four corners and my heart lurched furiously against my ribs.

"I'm not interested in things you still have." Hibari said, and I began to sweat buckets as dad scratched his head in bewilderment. Of course, dad was clearly baffled by Hibari's cryptic words. Damn it, I would've traded this Couldn't-Get-Any-Worse-But-In-Fact-It-Can-scenario for Pinocchio's growing wooden nose any time.

"Er, dad, maybe we should get Hibari-san a drink..."

"Oooh, good idea, Rinnie. Hibari-sama, what _do_ you want to drink? We have orange juice, cream soda, lemonade, tea, coffee, milk, anything you want!"

Hibari looked up from his spot. "…I don't care. Just show me the scene of the crime." He remarked smoothly, turning his gaze to the TV. At that point, I paled thoroughly. Had I unwittingly sent Hibari embarking off on a wild and pointless goose chase?

While I went deathly silent, dad patted me on the back, "You heard Hibari-sama. Let's get him a drink."

"But he just said – "

"It doesn't matter, just get him a drink. He is still a guest here." Dad dragged me with him back into the kitchen, just as Hibari began to examine his surroundings. Before I could protest, dad nudged me by the elbow and grinned, "By the way…What are you thinking?"

I turned to him as he handed me the kettle and prompted me to fill it up with water. Uh-oh. Had he seen through me ruse? I'll be grounded for weeks! "What do you mean, dad?"

"Ohhh, nothing, it's just… well, my daughter has brought a _**boy**_ home to her daddy, so…"

I almost dropped the kettle. "EWWW! You don't think – me and Hibari-san? DAD!" I stomped on his flip-flop foot and he winced. However, I was still relieved that dad was still oblivious to the whole robbery thing. Let's just see how long I can keep this lie up…. then afterwards, everything will be okay… hopefully…Still I cast a worried glance over to Hibari who had returned to sitting with criss-crossed arms on the sofa. I hoped he had not heard.

"Heeey, don't blame me for getting the wrong idea. I'm just concerned about your love life, that's all…"

"But usually you'd be going all cross-eyed with them and poking them in the chest with your finger and saying '_Who the hell are you and what are your intentions towards my daughter?_'"

"Not when it's Hibari-sama. Hibari-sama has been taking good care of the town. And he can take good care of you for your whole life too!"

"There is _**nothing**_ going on between me and Hibari-san, and there is nothing charismatic about Hibari-san either, so stop kissing up to him."

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are! Then what's it called?"

"What's what called?"

I tried to imitate dad as best possible. "_Oooh, Hibari-sama, why don't you stay for dinner_?"

He cringed, then looked at his fingernails. "Oh… uh…yes…Why did he mention a robbery?"

I knew he was trying to change the subject but now it was my turn to cringe. "I…ah… may have told him a… little white lie."

Dad gave me a look, and I shrunk under his stony gaze, "You were late for school again, weren't you? And Hibari caught you again, didn't he?"

"Er…._Yes_…!"

"Rin!"

I winced and gave him a small, hapless grin, "Dad, please! Pretend we've been robbed, okay? Do this for me, please? Just carry along with it!"

"You really think Hibari Kyouya is a moron?"

"Yes – I mean, no! I'm sure he's a sharp cookie, but hopefully – "

"He'll see through your ruse. And I won't take part in your childish games."

"Eeek!" I squeaked again, "But, dad, you'll protect me, right?"

"…You're 16 years old. I think you're old enough to take responsibility over your own actions." Dad said, and he handed me Hibari's drink.

I trudged back out with a glass of hot water, eyeing Hibari nervously. He was leaning on one arm, gazing impassively outside our open windowsill where a fat wood pigeon was perched, pecking at its wing. I watched him for a few moments and then… for some reason, I blushed. _Whoa, stop, dude! What the eff? Checking out Hibari Kyouya?_ _GROSS. _I snapped out of the daze, then mentally slapped myself twice for thinking such preposterous thoughts and my cheeks returned to the normal colour. I shook my head thoroughly, sternly.

No, no, no! He is the sworn enemy! He's always been such a jerk to me…What the heck was I thinking of? I thrust my arm forward robotically. "Here. Your drink."

_WHAP! _Hibari knocked it out of my hand with his tonfa and the cup went flying to the ground."I'm not here for tea." He said. I supposed I should've seen that coming.

I swallowed down, hoping dad had not seen that. "…You want to see the scene of the 'crime', right? Fine. Follow me." And I quickly dashed up the stairs, with Hibari trailing after me mutely. Ahh, how would I get myself out of this sticky situation? All I could hope is to somehow convince him that we were really robbed. Or, if I was really evil, I could show him our closet and lock him inside. Hibari lingered at the hallway for a second longer than I had believed he would. He was gazing around, almost as if he was…curious.

I cleared my throat and he flicked his eyes to me. "The crime took place upstairs in my room. Happy now?"

"No. I will need to investigate." But Hibari stepped forward and abruptly shoved me to the side, then opened the door I had been guarding. He stepped inside my room without further ado.

"What do you think you're doing? You can't just do that!" I barked at Sherlock Holmes Hibari angrily, jabbing a finger at his direction as I trailed after him into my room, making sure not to trip over all the clutter I left lying on the floor, "How dare you barge into a girl's room like that!"

He was already inside so my efforts to get him to leave were astonishingly futile. Hibari looked around, again with that drained, uninterested and almost exasperated look etched on his face; he looked at my skateboard by his feet and frowned at it. He suspiciously scrutinised the numerous dreamcatchers hanging down from my ceiling and glared at those. He gazed relentlessly at the lava lamp stationed beside my cabinet, then at the fluffy cushions dotted around my bed, the posters stuck on my wall and the stickers on the vanity mirror. Finally, his attention landed on my window.

"Your window…" He began, staring outside the window to his house that stood opposite. There was another window. I wonder what room it was, but I think I knew the answer already.

"…That's your bedroom opposite mine, isn't it?" I stated. How convenient. My bedroom is also directly opposite his. Fun.

"Therefore, if you were robbed this morning, I would have noticed."

Sherlock Holmes Hibari never ceased to amaze me. I rolled my eyes. "…Riiiiight."

"The distance between your room and mine is not so far apart. I would've noticed if there was something going on here." He said, and before I could tell him that was wrong although I had no evidence to prove it, he said, "What was stolen from your room?"

I began to sweat. "…J…Just some….er…money."

"How much?"

"….E-Er, just…j-just… a few hundred yen from my piggy bank."

"Why do you look so nervous?"

"W-Who me?" I stammered out. "…I-I'm not nervous - "

"Herbivore, look at me when I'm talking to you."

My eyes wouldn't co-operate. My pupils kept repelling each other like magnets, so my right eye looked to the right, and my left eye looked to the left. Talk about awkward. I must've looked pretty silly. "I'm-I'm…I'm not nervous. I'm, like, so not nervous. T-This isn't even what nervous looks like."

Hibari stepped towards me and I bounded back, trembling; my hips hit the edge of the bookcase and I almost made my display of doll house material fall over if I hadn't saved them in time by throwing my arms out. I quickly replaced them and turned back to Hibari who slowly unsheathed his tonfa as he cornered me once again. "Herbivore, do you really think you can deceive the Head Prefect of the Disciplinary Committee…?"

I gulped again as Hibari's expression clouded thoroughly. "Y-You don't make any sense - "

"I don't care. If you have any proof, show it to me now," He said, "Or else… _I'll bite you to death_."

In my own home? "NO!"

And I made a frantic dash for the exit – But where would I go? Would dad offer me protection? Would Hibari even pummel me senseless knowing that my dad was here? Apparently, YES! Argh I'm so dead! Before I could flee, my foot landed on my skateboard and disaster struck – in a matter of moments I knew that my feet had left the ground and the skateboard skidded halfway across the room with a loud '_wheee_!' and I was stumbling forwards with flailing arms - in process, my mind adhered only to a particular thought – if I was going down, I was going to take someone down with me - My arm subconsciously reached forward and grabbed onto the front of Hibari's belt. I bowled over forwards and we inevitably crumpled to a muddled heap on the bedroom floor.

Groaning, I felt my entire well-being tingle with pain and when I opened my eyes, I realised Hibari had landed gracelessly on his withered buttocks and somehow I had managed to conveniently land face-flat in between his legs.

There was a silence.

A_** very **_long silence.

With an ear-piercing scream, I jerked my head away from the compromising arrangement and looked up meekly, making the mistake of making eye contact with an extremely infuriated Prefect who was positively emitting a painstaking, murderous aura. I tried to peel myself off him, but then – "Ow! What the - ?"

It was then we realised a lock of my long hair was caught in the fly of his pants. YES. Out of _**all**_ the places… it just had to be…_There_. My face burned red with shame as Hibari watched on with one eye twitching furiously. My eyes began to water, and I tried to free myself desperately but to no avail. I felt my roots ripping out and a single tear trickled down from the corner of my eye. Why? Oh, why was God so cruel to me?

"Stop that," He barked out angrily, looking at the long strand of hair that was unfortunately intertwined with his zipper. "And get your hair out of _there_."

I wept bitterly. "I'm trying, I'm trying!" My shaking fingers felt large and blobby and swollen to the size of sausages as I slid my trembling fingertips over to the long, tangled, messy strands. But they didn't dare hover THERE. Utterly ashamed and humiliated, I whimpered out. "It's not untangling! W-W-What do I do?"

"How should I know? You were stupid enough to get your hair caught there."

I whimpered.

"Useless." He growled, and then he grabbed me and pulled me down, but this time, he moved so my back was now pressed to the ground, and I went wide-eyed as he rose above me, so now the positions were reversed. He hovered above me, and settled down to straddle me on my stomach.

My eyes went wide and I couldn't help but blush. "W-What're you doing…?" I choked out, as the long end of my knotted hair tugged, clearly and firmly tangled with the zip of his slacks. I stared at him in mute, strangled horror.

"Stay still."

"…huh…?" I stammered out weakly. Waahhh… So embarrassing… I felt humiliated…so humiliated…Someone shoot me now!

"I ordered you to stay still, herbivore." Hibari reached over to my desk and returned with something in his dominant hand. I couldn't make out what it was exactly but I caught the faint glimmer of the blades under the afternoon sunlight and then -

SNIP. I watched him, my jaw frozen in mid-air, as he sliced cleanly at my hair with the scissors and then we were free. A tear sprung in my eye. I was shaking as Hibari replaced the scissors back into my stationery tub and I stared at the limp, brittle locks on the floor. He hadn't cut off a lot, but I could tell that I had a layer of hair shorter than the others. But before I could protest, the door suddenly slammed open. I looked up. Dad was standing there, but he stopped as soon as he saw us – Hibari was still straddling me - and his jaw dropped.

"What is the meaning of this?"

* * *

I really didn't like the way how this chapter came out... :( Anyway, sorry for the slow update. I just finished playing Persona 4 (it took me about a year) and now I really want Persona 3 Portable! Too bad it's not out in the UK yet...


	4. The Hots for Hibari

Hibari's an orphan in my story again. And Rin swears in this chapter.

**Chapter 4**

_The Hots for Hibari_

"Wait, Hibari-sama! Don't gooooo!" Dad yelled, as Hibari stormed out of our front yard, back towards his own citadel home.

We watched him leave, as we stood side-by-side on our Home Sweet Home Mat. Of course, Hibari didn't stay for dinner which dad was preparing. And of course, Hibari never did find out if I was lying or not. Instead, all he received in return was a headache caused by a meddling middle-aged, balding man and his dishonest, infuriating daughter, and a strand of her hair lodged between the fly of his pants. The sky was darkening; it was almost seven in the evening. Hibari had been in our home – and had tolerated our home.

I felt bad, honest. And I had the feeling that Hibari would not be coming here for a long time. _A very long time._

"Just leave him, dad. It's about time he left anyway."

Dad turned sharply and pointed at me, "Youuuuu!" He began, "You horny kid! How could you take advantage of our poor guest like that?"

"WHAT? You think I – " I spluttered out in shock. "I can't believe it!"

"Oh… My one and only daughter…" Dad sighed heavily. He cast a woeful glimpse to the direction of Hibari's house, then shrugged helplessly. "Ah, well, I suppose you can't help it. You're growing so I guess boys are on your radar. Young people really are silly these days. Don't get too carried away in the game called love."

"WHAAAAT?" My jaw dropped for the gazillion time this night. _Dad thinks I have the hots for Hibari…? _"How many times do I have to tell you? There is NOTHING going on between me and Hibari!"

Somehow I was now to blame for dad walking in only to see Hibari on top of me. It was an accident – we just tripped over and fell and my hair got caught – and Hibari moved on TOP of _ME_. Me! I didn't do anything! Nothing! I am the victim, not him! It did not make sense. How on earth could I end up the villain here?

"He's such a nice, responsible boy who's very mature for his age..." Dad commented (which made me almost have a heart attack). "And you pounced on him!"

"I did not!" I exclaimed furiously, slamming my fist against the doorframe, all the while glaring daggers at Hibari as he crossed the path towards his front gate, "And that boy is not nice - he is the _devil spawn_! I saw him beat two people up! You have no idea what that guy has done to me! Do you even know what he is capable of? And the amount of ass-kissing you did made me want to punch a hole in the wall!"

At that point, dad cringed again.

"….But you had to, right?" I grumbled out, "You _had_ to do it in case you angered him, in case you unleashed all hell on us. It was all because you _**had **_to."

He sighed. "Please don't be angry, Rin..."

I supposed I could sympathise with dad's situation even if it meant he had to kiss ass. It was better not to become enemies with Hibari. But even if adults were afraid of Hibari, then how on earth would I fare off? "I'm not - well, I was, but… not so much now." I replied, "Dad, you're not really_ scared _of Hibari Kyouya, are you?"

Could it be? My dad, a male in his mid-forties, was reduced to a terrified wreck when basking in the presence of a fifteen year old boy who was still getting zits and acne in high school?

"I…er, just wanted to avoid trouble."

I sighed in defeat and my shoulders slumped, "…It's okay…I understand, and I forgive you."

Dad crossed his arms, put a hand under his chin and nodded, "Hibari-san may be violent, but I've figured him all out!"

"Huh? Oh, really?"

"Rinnie, all that boy needs is a _hug_."

"A hug?"

"Yes, a hug."

There was a brief silence, and I was waiting for dad to suddenly burst into song all about love thy neighbour and all that jazz. Unfortunately, he didn't. "Pfftt." I had to slam a hand over my mouth; I could hardly contain my sniggers.

Dad patted my head and ruffled my hair as I continued to snicker under my breath. "Why are you so surprised? Obviously that kid has a heart of cold-hard ice. Someone needs to melt it."

"…And you think I can melt it?"

"Come on, you have to admit, you had fun today." He said, nudging me gently with his elbow again.

"I did not! Landing in between his legs was not fun at all!"

Dad gave me a funny look but decided not to comment on it. My face burnt red with anger. That evil, horrid boy! I wanted to pummel him senseless! I wanted to punch his face in, kick him in the groin, yank at his hair, scream and curse. "Hibari-san is awful! And he was 'nice' because you were there so he was being all fake and polite."

"Hibari-sama and I have a mutual understanding for each other specifically because I was close to his parents. So… You should be nicer to him, because… well, you know…"

"What? What do I know?"

"He's in your class. And we live right beside him. So, well, I dunno, go on a playdate with him?"

I harrumphed into my fist in disapproval and flicked at my hair. "Me? Go on a _playdate_ with Hibari? Hmph! Who on earth do you take me for?" I retorted haughtily, "I think I'd rather stab myself than go on a playdate with him." As if Hibari wanted to go on a playdate with me, either. I think he'd rather stab himself, too!

Dad rubbed at the back of his head as if in deep contemplation. "I didn't know you felt so… strongly about this."

I flashed him a dangerous look from the corner of my eye. "…._Where have you been_…?"

He swallowed down. "You know… I feel kinda bad that we're his neighbour but we… haven't really made much of an effort."

"Dad, that guy doesn't want anything to do with us. Besides, you had to look after me all those years by yourself. I'm already quite a handful." I said, "It's not your fault. What about the rest of the neighbourhood, huh? They haven't done anything, either."

"…But…Hibari-sama has always been alone his entire life. His parents passed away when he was young. We can't expect him to do all the work in our society. It's our duty as neighbours, too."

"Oh. Well, I… don't really remember his parents." I murmured out uncomfortably. Speaking about Hibari's past had always felt forbidden and even… unsettling. Maybe it was taboo. "It's weird that Hibari-san actually has parents. I can't seem to imagine it."

"Very funny. Of course he has parents. He had to come from _somewhere_." Dad replied with a roll of his eyes.

"So he didn't crawl out of the depths of Hell?"

"No, of course not. Look, his parents… They were good people; they did a lot for the town."

"What do you mean?"

"They weren't exactly the Founders of Namimori, but they were well-recognised within the neighbourhood. They did a lot of charitable work and activity and Namimori thrived because of them. You know the town's Foundation Day? His parents used to organise that every year."

"And… do you think Hibari-san has inherited any of this… 'charitable' characteristic?"

Dad shrugged, "Maybe Hibari-sama's fierce loyalty and love for this town is because it's all he's got left of his parents. Namimori was their flesh and blood after all, and… maybe Hibari-sama wants to do a good job protecting it."

I wasn't quite sure if it was love. And what could he be protecting this town from? This was perhaps the most dullest and boring town on earth. Would he stay here for the rest of his life? "He won't stay here for long. I mean… Wouldn't he want to go travelling after he graduates from school? Find a good job? I know I do."

"Sure. Hey, you know what? One day, we'll save enough money to go to Venice. You've always wanted to go there, right?"

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. But you better stop being late for school."

"Got it!"

"Oh, yes, before I forget… what happened to your hair?"

"…N-Nothing…"

….

Later on, I tried to discover new hairstyles but nothing worked. I brushed my hair to different sides, to the middle, to the back, to the left and right, and I still looked pretty silly thanks to Hibari's amazing hairstyling skills. Actually, the entire ordeal made me realise how much my hairline sucked in general. My hair is so boring. I'm boring. I'm so plain and boring. Urh… somehow, Hibari has made me feeling so sorry for myself all of a sudden… and…Thinking about what happened earlier on made my fist clench firmly around the brush that I almost snapped it in half.

Taking a long, relaxing bath finally calmed my nerves. I made faces at myself in the mirror as I brushed my teeth and sighed, then dwaddled out of the steaming bathroom in my pyjamas, ruffling my wet, matted hair with a towel. Ahh… a refreshing bath was truly what I needed. I felt much better already. I trekked down the stairs and into the kitchen to fix myself a glass of water.

"Oh, you just missed a phonecall from Shouichi-kun."

"That little dweeb? What'd he want now?"

"Hey, that's my sister's son you're talkin' about." Dad replied, gazing at me with half-lidded eyes, "…I think he's stuck on his homework or something."

"As if! He's brighter than a 1000 watt lightbulb."

"Yeah, well… You'll go over to his house sometime after school, right?"

"Fine, whatever. Yo, dad, it's your turn now." I said, pulling open the cupboard and taking out my medicine.

In the lounge, dad looked away from his knitting and folded it back up carefully into a basket sitting on the ground by the side of the sofa. He removed his glasses and placed it with the knitting into his sewing bag, then got off the couch and stretched his back which emitted a glorious loud '_craaack_'. I gulped down my tablets just as dad passed me on the way up.

"Hey, what's wrong? I've seen you eat a lot of medicine today. You been getting a lot of headaches?"

"Yeah." I said. _Hibari-san gives me headaches..._

"No, no, no, you're eating far too much." Dad lifted the medicine canister out of hand despite my protests, "You're only meant to have three a day. I've seen you eat about six. No more medicine. If you have another headache, then go and have a lie down." He uttered, although, he still sounded very concerned.

"Okay, okay." I waddled back to my room with a glass of water as dad went to the bathroom.

Remembering that Hibari's room was directly opposite mine, I felt sick to the very core. His light was on and I could see the interior of the room. I sipped at my water as I marvelled his décor; it was nothing special. His walls were pale in colour and I could see a white glossed door with a metal coat rack hanging from the top; suddenly, the door to his room opened and I quickly hid behind one of my curtains, still holding my glass of water. Nervously, I peeked out from my hiding place to see Hibari storm inside. Hmm, he looks especially uptight today. From my room, in my little hiding place behind the curtain, I could see him in the full through a small crack between the window pane and the edge of the curtain.

I saw him glare at my window and I further squished myself against the wall, hoping not be seen. A few seconds passed and I deemed it safe to peek out to check the situation. To my sheer delight, Hibari still hadn't drawn the curtains back. He had his back to me. I wonder what he was doing. I sipped at my water again, just in time to see him pulling off his _**shirt**_.

My eyes widened and I spat out my mouthful of water, coughing and spluttering. My eyes were glued to his back as he continued to strip out of his bandages and the rest of his attire - without even noticing me leering at him across the yard. As I continued watching him, drinking my water, I could see the wound on his back from earlier on. _Looks painful_, I thought as I wiped my mouth dry, and I shuddered.

…. Little did I know that I had begun to unconsciously lean forwards for a better look until my nose bumped against the glass - "Ow!" I sniffled heavily and rubbed my poor, throbbing nose with my fingers, only to realise a few drops of blood had dripped over my nail and my other finger.

…_Nosebleed?_

I quickly pulled a tissue from the box on my desk. I didn't realise how much of a pervert I was. Have I no shame? Apparently not. No, I am not a pervert! I just want to see how bad his wound was, that was all. Yeah, that's it… Nothing perverted there… My fingers were trembling slightly as I hurried to roll the tissue into a thick strip. I finally rolled it up and hastily rammed it into my nostril, still snivelling.

However, when I looked back up, Hibari was at his window, still half naked, and glowering at me, thoroughly displeased.

"ARGH!" I screamed, although I was sure he couldn't hear me from his room.

And for a moment, I froze all over, unsure what to do. Then, my face ultimately went red from chin up. I trembled on the spot, and I quickly threw my gaze to the side, then down to my bare toes, before promptly ducking down and out of view.

_ARGHHHH What the fuuuuuuuck?_

I crawled over to my bed and pulled the covers over my head, trembling. After two minutes, I slowly rose back up from the mattress and leaned over, poking my head halfway up to my windowsill so my eyes were level with the windowsill, like an alligator stalking its prey in the water. I hovered over and tried to get a better look of his room. The curtains were pulled over and I sighed.

_Oh well, I guess being Hibari-san's neighbour isn't all that bad…_

…

I trudged to school dazedly the next morning. I didn't sleep very well last night. I kept thinking what happened to me - about BS-PS G, and those two boys Hibari beat up... Perhaps I should have told dad? All I knew was that I was terrified of seeing Hibari and/or Mitsukuni and Otogi on the way to school, although I was sure they would be still in hospital recuperating. But what would happen once they come out? Surely, they'll be thirsty for retribution.

And who would they go for first?

A) Hibari (for beating them up)

or

B) Me (who didn't step in and help)?

Hmm…

Anyway, I rounded down the lane just to see Hibari on the same sidewalk. He was seemingly fine, although I was sure his back was still thoroughly wounded. I stiffened on my spot, my hands clenching the straps of my backpack. I stared at Hibari's back sourly as I marched forwards. Obviously he'd be fine if Mitsukuni and Otogi decided to come back for seconds. He could protect himself. But what about me? Would the Committee offer Student Protection Services? And if so, would they charge me? I was a victim here, too!

My lip wobbled fiercely, just as Hibari turned round. I swallowed down and quickly threw my gaze to my shoes and shuffled forwards. After what happened, I was sure I had no guts to face him anymore. With my head down, I struggled onwards, before noticing that I hadn't able to move one step forwards; I turned back round to realise that Hibari had unsheathed a tonfa and looped it through the straps of my backpack and was pulling me back, effectively stopping me in my tracks. He dragged me back to him, my feet skidding across the sidewalk. Every other student walking past sent cautious glances towards us, and my cheeks flared up.

"…Yes? How may I help you, Hibari-san?"

His hand lashed out and he grabbed my chin with two fingers, pulling me close. Brr! His hand was so cold… I went slightly cross-eyed; it was too early in the morning for this! I began to sweat as he watched me stoically, his eyebrows furrowing neatly into a frown.

"Would you stop chewing gum in front of the Disciplinary Committee President?"

His fingers squeezed my cheeks together and my lips popped out, along with the wad of Wrigleys spearmint gum. How embarrassing... The gumball flew out of my mouth like a stream of water from a fountain, a perfect curve accompanied with a loud 'Bwoop' noise, and I quickly caught it with my hand before it landed on my ground. I assumed littering in front of Hibari was a death sentence.

I stumbled back as he let go, hacking and coughing as I wiped at my mouth. "Ack! Why does everything you do be so… I dunno, touchy?" I mumbled out, after wrapping the gum safely in a tissue from my pocket. I quickly manoeuvred my way to walk past him to avoid more trouble.

"Where do you think you're going? I'm not done with you yet."

I sighed and stopped in my tracks, as he began to sift through his bag and I watched him cautiously, before he pulled out a rather expensive-looking, egg-shaped ornament. It was a round, round red daruma doll, with hand-painted golden décor and a face consisting of two large, gaping eyes, a frowning red mouth and a thick moustache. He dumped it into my arms and I blinked in surprise. Did he bring this from his home?

"…F-For me?"

_Is he trying to say 'thank you'? _I gawked at him anxiously, then stuffed the doll into my bag, ignoring the huge bulge it caused. Then, an awkward silent spawned between us. I couldn't help but think what happened yesterday, and my cheeks felt warm all over again. He seemed to have noticed, and grabbed at my ear and pulled; I winced, and luckily, he let go after a few minutes. "Get your act together, herbivore. In a few days, a transfer student will be coming to our class."

"Eh? R-Really? Transfer student? Wow! From where? Is it a boy, or girl?"

"You will find out when they arrive." He said, "And what happened yesterday… if you tell anyone, I will bite you to death."

"Um… which part? The part where I saw you beating up Mitsukuni and Otogi, or the part where I found you bleeding? Or is it the part where you came to my house…? Or the part where my hair got caught in your pants?"

There was a brief pause, then –

"_All of it_."

"O-Okay…Your back – Is it fine?"

"What are you up to, herbivore? I can see the mischief in your eyes."

I sighed. This boy seriously makes no sense. _But… Hibari looks kinda cute when he's all suspicious and stuff… WHOA Back off!_ "I-I'm not trying to earn brownie points or anything, I swear. And Mitsukuni and Otogi– " I said, inhaling sharply, "T-They wouldn't want… revenge now, would they?"

"Yes, but I will deal with them when they come to me."

"Phew."

"Then they'll come to you."

"Nuuu!" I squealed, and I turned to Hibari desperately, "A-Anou, H-Hibari-san… I-I know we may have gotten off at the wrong foot when we first met, but… will you…will you…?"

"Whatever you want, the answer is NO."

"B-But I didn't even say what I wanted to say – "

"_**No**_." He affirmed sternly, before turning round sharply on the sidewalk and storming down the path, and I felt shrivelled up and small in my spot all of a sudden. Okay, so kissing up to Hibari won't work.

_Hibari won't help me…_

When Mitsukuni and Otogi returns, I'll surely be dead meat!


	5. I'm so Cheap and Dirty

I changed the summary because it makes Rin sound so Mary-Sue. I changed 'keeps saving her' to 'keep stalking her', if that will make any difference, lol. In fact, I've been wondering if Rin is a Mary Sue, or is it still too early to tell?

P.S. I really have no clue on the rules of baseball, and I don't think this chapter makes much sense either :O

**Chapter 5**

_I'm Cheap and Dirty, oh Yeah!_

It was finally Sunday and I knocked impatiently on Hibari's front gate before stepping back, smoothing down my shirt and shorts.

The rest of the school week had gone by pretty quickly. Not a lot happened, except that Hibari had told me that a transfer student would coming soon, and my house now had a new daruma doll sitting next to the goldfish bowl. I still hadn't had the guts to tell dad about the guy in the Black Suit and Purple Shirt, nor had I courage to tell him about me witnessing Hibari beating two people up who might come back for revenge.

Regardless, I decided not to let those facts get in the way of my life, and earlier on in the day, I was finishing off a batch of homework that was a week's late, before helping dad wash the dishes, when he brought up Hibari-sama-Came-To-Our-House in casual conversation. He thought that it was successful in rekindling the fire of neighbourly love and that he was now concerned about Hibari and his still wounded back. And ever since he came over for the first time after so many years, dad has become keen to be involved in his life more than I had wanted.

And so here I am, waiting at my neighbour's doorstep.

The wooden gate opened and Hibari stood in front of me, dressed in a white t-shirt and loose dark denims with his prefect jacket hanging off his shoulders. He looked at me head to toe, at my red and black checkered shirt and punk skeleton top underneath, and my shorts and converses.

Then he said, "What the hell do you want?"

Over the past few days, I had begun to think of Hibari differently. I had also taken more notice of Hibari's presence more than I usually did. I'm not really sure why, but I notice him more during class and breaktime. He reminds me of the man in the Black Suit and Purple Shirt. Surely, they must be related (although… a part of me refused to believe that). Maybe Hibari is hiding something from me. I must find out somehow.

I swallowed down a little as my nerves took over and scratched at my elbow, smiling sheepishly at him. "Just to let you know, I am acting on behalf of my father."

He leant on one side against the doorframe with crossed arms. "Spill it, herbivore."

"Dinner my dad tonight would be honoured – " I croaked out. The words didn't come out right as I thought it would, and I cleared my throat again, "Ahem. I mean, my dad would be honoured if you could join us for dinner tonight."

"No." Hibari's reply was instantaneous. He frowned darkly at me and stood back up straight; I don't know why but the tiniest hint of delectable movement he made was enough to set my heart racing.

In fear, perhaps? Or was it something else?

I quickly scolded myself mentally to get a grip. "Okay, fine. See ya."

"Wait. I found these lying on my front lawn this morning." Hibari reached behind him and pulled out an electric blue bra and a pair of Paulie B frilly panties.

My cheeks went red immediately. "Gimme those!" And I grabbed them off him in a flash, before stuffing them up my sleeve. I resisted the urge to flee in cowardice and quickly glanced down at his sneakers. "…Are…Are you meant to be going somewhere?"

"Yes. Some herbivores have trespassed on Committee territory and are challenging my authority. I will see to it personally that they learn their lesson." He grabbed his jacket firmly around himself.

"Oh. Well, have fun… biting those… herbivores...to, uh, death."

He brushed past me after giving me a rather bemused look and slammed the gate shut behind him, then walked off towards the direction of Namimori Central Park. I quickly sauntered back home. Of course, I should have been more aware that Hibari Kyouya was hardly the conversationalist. I trudged back into our front yard to see dad digging around with a trowel as a phat clear jar sat beside him. In the jar, were a few wriggly worms.

"Dad, what are you doing?"

"I'm digging up worms for our fishing trip tomorrow."

"Oh yeah, I totally forgot about that."

"So? How did it go? Will Hibari-sama be joining us for dinner tonight?" He asked enthusiastically, grinning widely from ear to ear.

"Nope, he's busy." I said, re-hanging my bra and panties on our clothes line. How the heck did it blow over from our fence and over Hibari's ten foot high citadel wall? There wasn't even a single breeze! Did they magically detach themselves out of the pegs and float all the way over? Or was Hibari secretly a panty thief? "Next time, you should go and ask him yourself."

"Huhh? No, it must be you!"

"Why me?"

"Because you're both roughly the same age. You two can - oh, I don't know - _somehow_ relate to each other." He said, dumping a huge, squirming worm into the jar. Dad isn't aware that Hibari used to bully me. One day, I swear, it will be Freaky Friday.

I was unimpressed. "Why do you want to become best friends with him anyway?"

"Don't you get it?" Dad cackled madly, his eyes glinting madly. "If we get on his good side, then we'll be protected – we can work something out - we can be _mutual_. It's good neighbourly practise. And I'm thinking about your future, too. I don't want any hindrances in your life, so… Hibari-sama will be able to help us out in any situations!"

I gazed at him with half-lidded eyes.

"So, what do you think? Isn't your dad simply marvellous? It's such a good plan, isn't it?"

"No," I said, rubbing at the bottom of my nose with my finger, "that's the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a baseball game to play."

**Later on…**

"Hey, Takeshi."

"Rin, you're here. We thought you wouldn't turn up."

"And miss this? No way. You know, a few days ago, I thought I'd never see you again." I said, walking up to the tall, dark-haired boy and giving him a high-five.

"Hm? How come?"

"Well, I fell off a window ledge and thought I'd die." I said, swinging my bat around. "It makes you kinda think how fragile life is. Now are we doing this or not?"

"Sure."

You're probably wondering what is going on. So here is a quick explanation: I go to Namimori Central Park every Sunday afternoon to play a game of baseball with a group of guys I've seen hanging around at school whose names I'm actually not that familiar with. It's not my fault, they change every Sunday – the guys, that is. The only one who is consistently there at the park is the taichou – a third year student who organised the weekly Sunday baseball games in the first place – and a giant guy called Takeshi with broad shoulders and short black hair whom I nicknamed 'Batman', because he's the best batter out of them all. He's not in my class but I've seen him at school so I suspect he may be a First Year student.

"We're already picked teams. You've got a good arm so you're pitching for the first round."

"Alright!" I said enthusiastically, adjusting my baseball cap as the rest of the guys shuffled from their spots on the benches and onto the field in the park. Suddenly, from the corner of my eye, I saw a very familiar figure approaching the pitch._…Hibari?_ I quickly tugged at the sleeve of his t-shirt. "Yo Batman, what's Hibari-san doing here?"

He looked up thoughtfully, scratching at the back of his head, "Oh… yeah… You left early last week so you don't know…" He said, grinning haplessly. "There's a big match going on today."

"…Big match?"

"Yeah, we're up against the Disciplinary Committee."

I choked on my own spit. "W-What?"

Hibari? And Baseball? A brief image of Hibari in baseball gear – a baseball cap, bat, mitt and arm guards and those funky stripy clothes popped into mind. Hmm…What a strange yet unexplored combination.

Takeshi continued, "They said this pitch belongs to them, and everyone on the team got narked and said we'd settle it out by a baseball match. If we win, we can still keep playing here, and if we lose, we have to go and find somewhere else to play."

"That's terrible!" I growled out, gritting my teeth. "Urgh, that's so typical of them. And this is the only baseball pitch in Namimori… everyone is allowed to use it! It's free to everyone!"

"Exactly. Oh, here he comes."

With the rest of our stronghold of nine guys, we lined horizontally as soon as Hibari arrived, with his minions lagging behind, all dressed head to toe in typical baseball gear. Kusakabe even had a helmet that moulded into the shape of his wacky hairstyle. "I am today's spokesperson and will act on Hibari-san's behalf," He said as he marched forwards, and we all sent him lethal deathglares. "Everything was discussed last week. Winners keep the pitch, losers hit the ditch. The match will start in ten minutes."

Our taichou nodded briefly, before giving a cold look at Hibari, who yawned. Taichou, the third year student, motioned us all to follow him and we huddled in a circle. "Right, you know those life-changing decisions you see in movies at the end that determines the main character's fate? This is one of them, except it's my movie. You guys will get your time some day. Now I want all you to bust your assess off for me because my pride is on stake here. I can't lose against the Committee, okay? I've already picked players. Rin, you were a bit late, but I'm sure Takeshi's filled you in – "

"Yeah, I'm…uh, pitching."

"That's right."

I asked anxiously, "Uh…Taichou… will Hibari-san be playing?"

"I don't think so, but that won't matter anyway. We've been playing baseball for years. Those Committee members can flounder and frolic with their gorilla-sized arms all they want. They don't have what we do – the baseball spirit!" Taichou yelled fiercely, "Takeshi, you're my Golden Boy so I'm counting on you as Center Fielder for this match. During the second match, you'll be the switch pitcher."

Takeshi grinned and saluted. "Yessir!"

"Kappei, you're Right Fielder today. Yamaguchi, Left. Keisuke, you're the Cornerman and Nodami, you're at the Hot Corner. Any questions? No? Good… Now let's kick their asses!"

We broke out of the group huddle and made our way to our designated spots. However, there was still five minutes left, and my anxiety was starting to overflow. What if we lose the match? What if I throw like an idiot in front of Hibari? What would he think of me? I returned to the benches, and I couldn't help but pace up and down the ground, just before a hand grabbed the back of my shirt and I was pulled down. My butt landed on the cold steel bench and I glanced over, at Hibari, who was suddenly sitting down beside me.

"So, this is where you go every Sunday." He said, watching his Committee members stretching and warming up on the field.

"Why are you doing this?"

"I already told you before. The herbivores trespassed on territory."

"But this is a public park."

"It's not public anymore. Two weeks ago, the council has agreed to lend this pitch for the school only. Whoever plays here will have to request permission from the Committee from now on. Last week, I saw you and your little herbivorous friends playing on this pitch."

"…But we didn't know. Can't you let us off just once?"

"If I allowed you to get away with it, then what will become of the Committee's reputation and the discipline in Namimori?"

I growled at him, "W-Well, are you playing then?" Was Hibari just full of hot air?

"I'm playing in the second match." He said, and fear and dread lurch furiously in my chest. Hibari was really playing? I swallowed down and began to worry even more. "The match is about to begin, herbivore."

Shakily, I got up from the bench and trotted into the pitch, pulling my baseball cap up and over to shield my eyes from the intense Sunday sunlight. Kusakabe was holding the bat, and tossed me the ball, which I caught effortlessly. "I heard you were a Fireballer, Kazama-san." Kusakabe said. **(1)**

"And I heard you were a power pitcher, Kusakabe-san." I replied. **(2)**

He chuckled. "That's up to you to find out. I won't take you lightly, Kazama-san." He said, with a blunt nod, and he readied himself into position with the bat.

"Don't worry, I won't go easy on you either." I said, juggling the ball up and down into the air. I gave a sideways glance to Hibari; he was beside the rest of his Committee who were whooping and cheering Kusakabe on. So intimidating… Ahh, focus! Now was not a time to screw up. For some reason, I couldn't help but be determined _**not**_ to make a fool out of myself in front of Hibari.

"GAME, BEGIN!" The referee yelled into a red plastic megaphone as he stood beside Hibari, who was still sitting on the bench, watching. Meanwhile, taichou sweated buckets as he sat down beside him, twiddling his thumbs.

I closed my eyes. Oh, God of Baseball….Please… Lend me your wisdom and power and bestow me the Strength to beat down these bullies! I lifted my arm up and threw, with a loud battle cry of 'Hoooarghh!', and the ball went hurtling towards him at one hundred miles per hour.

With a mighty ROAR, Kusakabe swung the bat with his gargantuan bushy arm and then – BLAM! A small, white blob went spinning five thousand feet into the sky. Everyone looked up, their jaws hanging in mid-air. When we returned our gazes to ground level, Kusakabe had already reached third base.

"Stop him!" Taichou yelled frantically, jumping up from his seat in shock.

Takeshi and the rest on the field immediately jerked into action and took off scuttling into the distance like ants on fire. By the time the ball landed within human-reach, Kusakabe was dashing towards last base. What happened in a few seconds slowed down. Everyone was screaming in confusion like headless chickens. Taichou looked like he was going to wet himself. Takeshi leapt up and caught the ball in the air then turned, and with a hefty swing of his arm, he hurled the ball back towards me.

"Rin, catch!"

The ball was rocketing towards me at an insane pace. For a moment, I wasn't sure what to do – but my hand extended forward, and the ball - an unidentifiable globe of spinning lint - flew directly into my outstretched palm, smoking, but -

"Home Run!" yelled the referee, and to my dismay, Kusakabe had already passed final base. The referee's statement was followed with a few groans from the home team. Meanwhile, Hibari smirked, while taichou gritted his teeth and stomped his feet on the ground.

The game went on.

**Ten minutes later –**

Home: 0.  
Committee: 7.

I swapped positions with Takeshi and moved onto centre. Hibari played in the second match. He's pretty good, as much as I hated to admit it…

**Twenty minutes later – **

Home: 5.  
Committee: 19.

"We're losing!" Taichou screamed as the referee declared a quick break, "Argh… these Committee people sure do give it all at all costs… even baseball… and that's our forte! How dare they humiliate us! Rin! I will assign a totally new and different job for you!"

There was a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. "…What's that?"

"Seduce the Head Prefect!"

"W-Whaaaat?"

"Use all the womanly prowess you have and seduce him! Seduce his pants off! I don't care even what you do – feel him up, touch his hand, bat your eyelashes, whatever! Just make sure we have an advantage in this game!" Taichou then grabbed the sides of my head and spun me around to face Hibari on the bench. "There's your target! Now go get 'im! Break's over in five minutes! This is our final match and we need distraction! Don't screw it up!"

Meanhwile, everyone gave taichou a dirty look and gave me a sympathetic look.

"Whoaa! Give me a minute to prepare, alright?" I hurriedly waddled over to the water fountain away from the pitch. What do I do what do I do? Seduce Hibari? I began to panic all over again and I stepped back from the fountain, then proceeded to flap my arms around crazily in distress, then sighed and leant down for a quick sip of fresh water, hoping it would calm my nerves. It didn't exactly help. I took another sip, and another, and another.

Behind me, a voice asked, "Are you done?"

I let out a heavy, irritated sigh, "Well, excuuuuse me for having a lower water retention rate compared to other people!" I snapped, whipping round furiously. Then my jaw dropped. **(3)**

_It...It's him! _

I remembered it clear as day; the black suit. The purple shirt. The short, messy dark hair. Those chilling, fleeting eyes. He was much taller than I thought he was, and I lost my nerve all over again as he loomed over me. _OH MY GOD. IT'S HIM. AND I JUST YELLED AT HIM. WHAT DO I DO NOW? _Alarm bells were ringing. A red light flashed on and off. My mind screamed relentlessly: Warning… warning…warning… "Y-You…" I finally managed to splutter out in disbelief. Immediately, I tried to make myself more presentable and tidier. I smothered down at my shorts and my cap and quickly cleared my throat. "….What are you - ? How did you…? Um…S-Sorry, I didn't mean to yell…Umm…Th-Thanks for….saving me the other day."

"That is unnecessary." He replied, flicking his gaze to the pitch.

"Huh? Oh…Erm…w-what are you doing here anyway?"

"I came to see you."

I was astonished that we were talking as if we were casual acquaintances. "M-Me? Why me?" I pointed at myself in utter shock, "I mean…Do you know me? Are you one my father's friends?" I squeaked out timidly. Somehow, I had retreated into a shy and bashful shell of myself.

"Almost."

His reply was slightly hesitant. Meanwhile, I scratched at my head, befuddled. Did that mean he was or wasn't? I supposed he may have well been! "So… does that make you one of my uncles?" I asked, and I believed I could detect a slight wince in his expression.

But then, his lips tugged upwards into a smirk again. "Are you sure about that?" He asked softly, taking a step towards me.

"Um. Yeah, I guess…?"

"Come closer."

I did as I was told; I wasn't quite sure why. I just… _did_. He looked around, noticing that we were completely and utterly alone, then leant down towards me, and I swallowed as he lifted his hands to my face, cupping my cheeks. Leaning in closer, he smirked at me and brushed a few strands of my hair away from my face. I watched him wide-eyed, then bit down on my lip and felt my cheeks heat up like crazy.

"What…what are you…?" I garbled out incoherently, as his lips neared my ear. Uncles don't do that!

"…I'll ask you one more time: _Are you really sure_?" He whispered, and I shivered involuntarily.

I went slightly cross-eyed as he gazed back at me. "N-Not anymore…" I stammered out groggily, swaying dizzily under his hypnotising gaze. He let go and I wobbled to the side, holding onto the fountain tap for support. "…B-But if you're not my uncle… then… who are you?"

He turned round to leave. "…You'll find out soon."

"I will?"

"The game's about to start, herbivore."

"Eh? Oh, crap!"

Without a second to spare, I quickly jogged back to the pitch, looking over my shoulder to realise that Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy had left already. What just happened back there? My mind felt all cloudy and fogged up; I couldn't think properly. Everything had felt ethereal. Should I be scared? No, the guy saved me! I supposed he wasn't related to us after all. And…Surprisingly enough, I didn't sense any form of malevolence from him. But…How could I have let that happen to me? Well… it wasn't unpleasant, or anything… but still… what am I? A cheap and dirty schoolgirl who hankered for the refuge of older men? I sulked, kicking a stone in my path.

_No… He was nice to me (maybe a little too nice?), and I wanted to say 'thank you' anyway. There's nothing wrong with that…_

Pause.

_OKAY, I ADMIT IT! I'M CHEAP AND DIRTY AND I LIKE OLDER MEN! _

With that in mind, I clawed at my hair like crazy, shaking my head up and down.

_JUST CALL ME 'HORNDOG'!_

Meanwhile, people passing me gave me odd looks but I ignored them and resumed my casual walk back to the pitch after that moment of madness was over. As I neared the pitch, I realised Hibari was missing. Hm? I looked around, finally spotting him coming back towards me the direction I had just come from. Uh-oh, if I remembered correctly, Taichou wanted me to flirt with him. But…What would I say? I didn't know any good pick-up lines. And how should I flirt? Toy with my hair? Wink? Flutter my eyelashes? Argh, I should've asked Black Suit Purple Shirt-san for some good pick-up lines. He looks like a babe magnet. I'm sure he's had plenty of successful experiences with his good looks.

Hibari ignored me as he manoeuvred to sit on a bench, but then he looked up at me as I approached him carefully and I halted completely in my tracks, petrified. "What do you want?"

Oh well, here goes nothing… "Hibari-san, c-can I talk to you?" I croaked out, inwardly cringing at myself. I tried to bat my eyelashes. Tried to.

"What's wrong with your eyes, herbivore?"

"…Ngh…" I grunted out, and I stopped 'fluttering' my eyes. "…Nothing. I've…uh, been meaning to ask you this… But, uh…have you played baseball before?"

"No."

"This is your first time?"

"Correct."

"…Wow. B-But you're really good! I guess you're one of those people who are naturally good at everything, yeah? I take it you train a lot by yourself, too?"

He looked away from me and back to the front, unscrewing a bottle of water and taking a few quick gulps down. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand and I stared at him with my mouth hanging open for a brief moment, then he turned back to me. I quickly looked away, hoping he hadn't caught me staring at him. "…Why do you want to know?" He asked.

"E-Erm…Well…Do you have a tutor?"

"No."

"…So you do a lot of things all by yourself." I murmured under my breath, and suddenly, a smile blossomed on my face and I swayed around a little on my spot, "You're so…independent…and so strong…."

…

Meanwhile, taichou had grabbed Takeshi by the arm and was pointing at us. "What's wrong with her? What's with that dreamy look? Has he seduced her in return?"

…

Hibari slid out of his seat smoothly and began to make his way to his spot on the pitch. "Break's over."

"Huh? Oh… R-Right." I snapped out of my daze and waddled back to my position just as Kusakabe stood opposite me a few feet. He had the ball in his hand and I swallowed down. My eyes couldn't help but saunter over to Hibari, who was at third base, watching me with a solemn expression. I immediately looked away as my heart began to beat a little faster, and I clenched my hand tightly around the handle of the baseball bat. I started to sweat.

"GAME BEGIN!"

Kusakabe pitched the ball in an instant.

"Strike one!"

Huh? I hadn't even noticed. The ball was thrown back to Kusakabe. "Come on, Kazama-san, I know you can do better than that." He said, clearly unimpressed, and I flushed with embarrassment in response, "Are you ready?"

I nodded, swallowing down the growing lump in my throat, throwing another sideways glance to Hibari, hoping he hadn't seen that. "Y-Yeah. Give me everything you got."

"You asked for it." Kusakabe threw the ball again at blinding speed with terrifying, brute force.

My arm didn't move, and all I could see was white –- It all comes down to this… I squeezed my eyes shut and swung my arm round. The bat connected with something hard, and the bat trembled in my hand, vibrating violently. My wrist throbbing, I opened my eyes to see the ball soaring high in the air. Stunned, I dumped the bat to the side and began running. There was a hubbub of undecipherable yells and shouts as the committee members on the field tried to catch the ball, running around the pitch like crazy. I ran past first base, and second, and was now running towards third.

I saw Hibari.  
I was running.  
I was running towards Hibari.

I began to waver as my pace slowed down, and I could hear everyone bawling and shrieking at me to run faster. I squeezed my eyes shut. Whether or not I was running towards Hibari, I still had to run. Run Run Run Run Run. I sprinted, but to my horror, someone had caught the ball and was now throwing it towards Hibari.

Everything flashed before my eyes.

We were losing. We would lose the right to play in this pitch. I wouldn't be able to come here every Sunday to hang. Why was this happening? First, my home, my school, my father… Hibari had managed to somehow ruin and steal everything away that revolved around me, and now he was going to take this away from me as well? It wasn't fair… I couldn't let him. I couldn't…

_I can't let him steal this from me, too!_

I charged forward, galloping like crazy as fast as my short legs could carry me through the shortstop of the pitch, and I skidded across the dusty pitch in a cloud of reddish-coloured dust. I saw the ball flying towards Hibari and once again, panic took over me completely.

"NOOOOOO!" I screamed, and everything went into slow motion.

I sprang off the ground and closed my eyes as I threw myself at him. We fell to the ground, landing none too gracefully in a mass of tangled limbs. Everything went back to the normal pace, and the pitch went silent. When the dust cloud dissimilated away, I opened my eyes and looked down to see Hibari underneath me, our noses merely inches apart. His rather befuddled expression made the heat rise to my cheeks and I quickly tried to pull myself off him, but suddenly his arm shot out and wrapped around my waist, bringing me closer to him, the side of my face slamming against his chest.

Immediately, I went wide-eyed and my heart began beating very, very fast. "H-Hey, what are you doing?"

He answered my question when he lifted his free arm up and just as I looked up – to see the ball sailing towards us – it landed neatly into the flat palm of Hibari's hand. Then he let go of me.

I was confused. "Why did you - ?"

"If you got up, you would've gotten in the way of the ball." He said, and my jaw dropped. He caught the ball…. when he lying on the ground, with me on top? I stared at him, dumbstruck. … Is there anything this boy CAN'T do? He glanced at me as I flushed brilliantly, feeling terribly confused at the same time. "Are you going to get off me?" He asked, "Or are you enjoying your current position?"

I pulled away from him and glared at him thoroughly, but my reddening cheeks gave everything away.

_Why? _

Why was this happening? I've been his neighbour for so long… and I always thought I hated him… But…Why do still I blush every time I see him? Why do I feel so tense and all on edge with him? Why does my heart beat so passionately whenever he's nearby? Why am I so determined to make a good impression on him? Everything…everything about him…Everything he says and does… what he doesn't do… it makes me go crazy!

What is… what is this feeling?

_Do I…  
_…_Do I…like…Hibari…?_

_But… what about Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy…?_

* * *

**(1)** Fireballer: A pitcher who throws the ball at high velocity  
**(2)** Power Pitcher: A pitcher who relies on sheer velocity of pitches at expense of accuracy  
**(3) **In this part, Rin meant that her body loses more fluid easily: in other words, she gets thirsty a lot compared to other people and has to keep drinking a lot of water or else dehydrate.

Other terms:

Cornerman: First Baseman  
Hot Corner: Third Base  
Shortstop: Position between second and third base.  
Left/Right/Centre Fielder: Various defense positions on the field  
Catcher: The one who stands behind the batter  
Switch pitcher: I think this means you're ambidextrous and can throw the ball with either left or right hand


	6. Rin's Best Day Ever

This drabble-ish, filler-ish and insane chapter (that may be actually rather embarrassing for you to read) has a few bits as a tribute to Cosmo G: Beyblade Style! (ie, Rin's dream, for example)

**Chapter 6**

_Rin's Best Day EVAH_

After yesterday's baseball match, me, Takeshi and taichou and a bunch of other baseball enthusiasts emigrated (with our tails between our legs, regretfully) from the Namimori Central Park Public Baseball Pitch which was not declared not so public anymore. Curse the Committee. Curse stupid Hibari and his stupid, amazing baseball skills! That guy seriously has issues… and he needs a good kick in the crotch, too. By all means, and mark my words… no, _**heed**_ my words - I refused to like Hibari Kyouya.

Ya hear me?

I refuse!  
I refuse I refuse I refuse!

I'm probably in that phase when I think all guys are hot. Still, it didn't help me get a decent wink of sleep that day.

I tossed and turned in bed all night.

**Rin's dream:**

I stood there, my hands shaking, eyes wide. I couldn't believe it.

Hibari sat on a large armchair beside me, the legs of the chair stretching to up the height of a skyscraper, dressed in a stereotypical King's cape, the red, billowing velvet with a white and black spotted, fluffy collar. He brandished a tonfa in one hand, a crown sat atop his messy head. He was sitting with his legs crossed, a hand resting underneath his chin on the arm rest. Behind the divorce attorney desk, dad pointed a finger at me, grinning from ear to ear. His eyes glinted wickedly, as he loomed over me, casting a tall and dark, foreboding shadow over my small, quivering form.

"YOU!" He yelled, "My one and only daughter! Since all the girls are afraid of him…. and since no boys have shown interest in you either for some inexplicable reason…. You two are just _PERFECT _for each other!"

And me, I just continued to sit, looking silly. "H-Huh?"

"You're going to be Hibari Kyouya's future wife!"

And suddenly the chessboard-patterned ground beneath us vanished and Hibari vanished off somewhere. Never mind, I thought - I was falling, with my hand outstretched in a desperate attempt to grapple onto anything, as my body was being pulled back by an invisible force – argh! What the heck was going on? I looked down, realising that an arm was wrapped snugly around my waist and I felt a chill run down my spine. Craning my head round in short, jerky movements, I turned round to face Hibari -

Tears sprang in my eyes, and I couldn't help but yelp out.

He was glaring but suddenly broke into a wide grin. Out-Of-Character Hibari? Argh, the horror! I felt like clawing my eyes out upon seeing the sight. "I heard the news!" He 'sang' happily, which thoroughly made the hairs on the back of my neck rise up to no end as I struggled helplessly in his iron arms. "We're going to be together forever!"

Without warning, a chain snaked itself around my ankle and I was free-falling down into the depths of darkness, weighted by a giant and black, cast-iron ball with Hibari. My clothes suddenly flickered from my school uniform to a black and white striped gown, as a handcuff strapped itself around my wrist. I looked up, away from my chained leg to my bound wrist in the handcuff, only to realise that the other handcuff was around Hibari's wrist. A black veil landed on top of my head and over the front of my face, an invisible strap tightening around under my chin. A bouquet of wilted flowers landed into my hands and suddenly we were on an altar with a stand in front of us.

Dad emerged from behind the stand, and cleared his throat as he flipped open a large book. "Do you, Hibari Kyouya, take my one and only daughter, to be your unlawfully wedded wife?"

And Hibari was wearing a suit. A black suit, with a purple shirt underneath. "Yes."

Dad, in his vicar clothes and glasses, he said, "Do you, Kazama Rin, my one and only daughter, take Hibari Kyouya to be your unlawfully wedded husband? To allow him to beat you up whenever he wants to? To allow him to insult you and hit you and call you fat and ugly whenever he wants to?"

No! heck NO! Me in my black and white wedding dress, I began to cry. I wanted to scream but my mouth moved on its own – "_Yes_."

Without warning, Hibari leaned towards me, his eyes closed, I began to sweat and teetered backwards, on spindly black high heels that had suddenly appeared stuck onto my feet from nowhere. I just knew I had to get away, away from him. But I tripped over my heels and I was falling again. My arms flailing, the bouquet of wilted roses flew out of my hand and I was about to crash onto the floor – which turned out to be another dark, dark void of nothing but misery and turmoil, but then –

An arm scooped around my waist and I was suddenly gazing back into the familiar eyes of the older and taller Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy. With his free hand, he fluidly caught the bouquet of roses – and with a smooth flick of his wrist - POP! The fluttering rose petals burst into an array of fat yellow tennis-ball-shaped birds and when the birds flew away, he held a beautiful single rose in front of me. I stared at him, unsure what to do, but slowly, my hand reached out to accept it but -

A clenched fist smacked over my head. With me spinning dizzily around and those fat, little round yellow birds flying around my head, the fist's owner – Hibari - re-emerged out of the shadows from behind me and into view, still in his black suit and purple shirt but with a crown on his head and a king's cape draped over his shoulders. "Woman, how can you fall for a guy like him?" He barked at me, before turning to Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy.

It was then I realised that placing Hibari and Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy together….

_They really do look exactly the same._

But…But _how…?_

And thus, I realised I had developed a knack for waking up screaming these days.

Dad opened the door and poked his head into my room, "Rin?" He watched me panting heavily, as I craned my head round, my tiny fists clenching my duvet tightly, whimpering like a dog that had just been castrated. "It's okay, it's just a bad dream."

I could only nod, my eyes wide and twitching and bloodshot.

"You ready for the fishing trip? Or do you want me to call it off?" He asked, "…You don't look so good. Are you feeling alright?"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine. I'm fine. Let's get ready."

I wiped my forehead free of sweat and slid out of bed, then did a few stretches. I saw down for a few minutes to recover from the horrific ordeal. What a horrible dream. I wonder if it was my subconscious trying to tell me something. But what? Hmm, now that I tried to think more about it, the more I forgot about what had actually happened in the dream. Don't you just hate it when that happens? I shrugged nevertheless, and began to get changed. At least I had today's fishing trip to look forward to.

_Finally_, I thought cheerfully as soon as I had gotten ready. I skipped down the stairs and past the front door, grinning widely. _Mmmm. A day away from Namimori… a day where I could forget that I was Hibari's neighbour. A well-deserved break from all this madness and torture!_

Hurray! This is going to be the BEST DAY EVAH.

**Ding-dong.**

Hm? I stopped prancing around happily and glanced over at our front door where a blurred outline behind the stained glass could be seen standing just at our doorstep. Who could it be? And at this time?

I opened the door to see Hibari, and froze all over.

He stared at me.  
I stared at him.

Then I promptly swerved my gaze down to my wristwatch. _5:10am._ Before I could open my mouth, he said, "Yes. Your father has invited me."

A bead of sweat trickled down from my forehead.

"WHAT?"

**And now…**

Hibari is coming with us.

On a fishing trip.  
With _us_.

BUT WHY?

As I strangled the wind out of dad for not telling me beforehand, Hibari calmly made his way to our van and clambered in beside us without even a camping bag or rucksack in sight. I guess he didn't bother to pack anything with him. At least he didn't go for the seat in the middle beside the driver's seat, or else, I would've fought him for it, even if it meant to the death. Mark my words…no-one sits at my favourite spot, ever! And to think, I hadn't even noticed dad packing a triple helping of food and three bottles of water and an extra set of spare clothes that would appear to fit a young teenage male, and I didn't even notice him cleverly conceal a spare fishing set up his sleeve the entire time.

So there we were, sitting side by side each other in the van, listening to some teeny boppers booming out their song on the radio. Dad was enthusiastically steering the wheel and whistling along.

"….And there you have it folks, this month's top 40 hits. Check it out, Akina, this new rock band called **Fascination with Assassination** has been on the charts at Number 1 for the past few months…"

The radio was getting quieter and quieter.

…_.Getting sleepy…_

While I sat with my arms crossed and moody pout etched on my face, I began to get drowsier and drowsier…My eyes were closing…

_So sleepy… No. Must. Stay. Awake…But…Yaaaawn…. So…so tired…_

In a matter of seconds, I flopped to the side, my head landing on Hibari's shoulder. The impact caused me to jerk up immediately. "Ah! So-So sorry!" I squawked out, my face reddening. _Argh! No, stop it! Refuse! Refuse refuse refuse! I refuse to have feelings for Hibari!_

As I went through my own psychological turmoil while sitting in my seat sweating buckets, Hibari threw me a cold look from the corner of his eyes before throwing his gaze back outside the window at his side silently.

…_arh...this is a nightmare…I can't believe he's really here. _

I patted at my cheeks feverishly to wake me up and tried to concentrate on the road in front of us as dad continued to drive along, seemingly unaware, but then I tossed Hibari a quick glance from the corner ofmy eyes.

…_Tired… sleepy…Want… pillowy softness…so badly…_

Mmm. Hibari's shoulder suddenly looks inviting all of a sudden.

_Hibari's arm… Me want…_

My eyelids began to droop again and I began to tilt over – NO! I must resist! Jerking back upright in my seat, I sulked, and my mind wailed, aching for comfort.

I sat.

Aching.  
Longing.  
Trying to resist.  
Wanting to cry and scream.

But hopefully, we would be at the lake soon.

…The journey to Komadachi Fishing Lake continued.

* * *

Someone shook me gently.

"Rin! We're here!"

I woke up and wiped my mouth free of dried-up drool that was somehow stemmed all the way to the side of my nose. Now how did that happen? "…Uh…we're here? That's fast…"

"We've been driving for three hours already."

I looked around, sensing the empty presence beside me. Hm, maybe that was why I was feeling so cold all of a sudden. I asked, "Where's Hibari-san?"

"He's already at the lake. You should go and meet up with him; I need to park the van."

I slipped out of the van while dad paid for the parking ticket. I departed to the female changing rooms to get dressed in a pair of waterproof dungarees and my wellie boots. I pulled on the final touch – a fisherman's cap - and re-emerged. I found dad again waiting outside the local Mountain ranger's office before we set off towards the woodland to find Hibari together.

Finally, we arrived at the lake, dad found a good, clean spot and propped up the umbrella and picnic mat at the quiet lakeside away from the tollbooth and eating establishment. "Ah… isn't this nice?" He asked, marvelling the woodland, as he handed me my fishing rod.

Now that I had actually slept, I felt a little better. "Feh." I grunted out in response, rubbing at my eyes. I watched Hibari stand stiffly like a statue at the lakeside with a fishing rod in hand. "He's been standing there motionless ever since we got here?"

"Yep."

I bent down to pick a rather large and heavy stone off the pebbly shore. "….Hmm. I wonder what would happen if I threw a rock at him. Do you think he'll respond?"

"Don't even think about it. He's just concentrating. Look at the determination on his face."

"Dad, that's Hibari's expression _all the time_." I tossed the rock to the side for the moment. "….Hey, how come he's not wearing anything waterproof?"

"I asked if he wanted to borrow my wellies but he insisted he was fine."

I sniggered evilly as I stretched out over our picnic mat, "I hope he slips and falls into the mud and make a complete fool of himself." I said snidely, readying my polaroid camera that was looped around my neck.

Dad was busy unpacking some food from the hamper he brought with him and the flask containing apple juice. "Yes, yes, well, Hibari-sama is a self-proclaimed natural at fishing."

"Oh, is he now? Let's see about that…" I popped a piece of gum that I got from my pocket into my mouth, rolled up my sleeves and stormed over to him, the immobile, erect-statue-like Hibari, trudging through the mucky slush in my wellies. I wasn't so sure why I was feeling like being an obnoxious punk today. Maybe it was because of the baseball match the other day which Hibari and his evil minions won. I was determined to be better at Hibari at something. With that in mind, I was also determined to find some way to shame him more than ever.

In other words…

_REVENGE!_

As soon as I approached him, he took one sweeping look at me head to toe, then turned back to focus his attention to his front, and recast the line. "Your father seems to have a lot of free time on his hands, to take you out on a fishing trip for an entire day."

I shrugged. "He's a locksmith. You know, he fits and makes locks and stuff. And he designs them, too. But he's freelance. I think it's because it's a pretty niche occupation." Pause. "Oh, yeah," I added, "… My dad said you're a natural at fishing. Think you can beat this?" And I pulled out a photograph from my pocket. It was a picture of me, dating back three years ago; I was holding a very large cod fish the size of a small calf.

Hibari flicked his eyes to the photo but said nothing.

"This is Perry. He's the big bad king of this lake. No-one's ever caught this whopper in the past three years except ME. Think you can beat that?"

His eyes lit up. "…Is this a challenge?"

"Hoho, you bet your little Prefect butt it is." I snickered at him, waving the photograph around in my hand proudly.

"Very well." Hibari replied, a little calmly than I had anticipated. In fact... Hibari has been on his 'best' behaviour so far. Is it becase dad is here? No way. He wouldn't even think twice to fling me across the river and dunk my head under the water repeatedly whenever he got the chance. "I accept your challenge, herbivore."

"Oh yeah? Well get ready to eat my dust, loser, because I'm a fishing legend." I bragged, pointing to myself with a grin. "Bring it on!" I snarled, and I took notice of his fishing spot, then smirked to myself. "…First one to catch a Cod fish _wins_!"

"What's the prize?"

"One's pride, obviously."

"And what about the loser?"

I thought for a long time, then - "…..The loser has to strip off **naked** and run around the woods once!" _I think for a long time and this is what I come up with? Really?_

Hibari gave me a look, and I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat.

"W-What? You don't mind running around naked? I mean, I sure do!"

His hands were on the fishing rod, but somehow, he still managed to thwack me across the head. "I never back down from a challenge." He retorted calmly.

"Fine! You're on!" I said, "You fish here, and I'll fish there." I walked away, cackling madly to myself. I couldn't wait for Hibari to lose all his dignity and strip off and run around the woods in the nude. Of course, the fishing spot he was in had no codfish. They didn't live there. They dwelled on the other side of the lake. My god, I can be so evil I even surprise myself sometimes. Operation Humiliating Hibari commence now! Cue maniacal laughter.

…

I had been confident but I had been fishing for twenty minutes and nothing was biting except from a few tiny freshwater trout. I had changed baits at least ten times by now. Frustrated, I recast the line again and waited.

…and waited…  
…and waited…  
…and waited.

Before long, I was ready to tear my hair out.

"Where the heck are you, you stupid goddamn codfish?" I seethed out, clenching my fists and stamping my feet around in a tantrum. I pondered what may have happened. Had all the codfish moved somewhere else? Had they somehow discovered my diabolical plot and have now joined forces in order to make my life hell?

_Yup, you said it. It's karma_, said a spiteful voice from the back of my mind. _The codfish know what you're up to and are deliberately hiding away from you. They're on Hibari's side, not yours. Ain't that a bitch?_

I gritted my teeth. How the heck could this be karma? I mean, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to get back at Hibari for kicking me and my friends out of the baseball pitch! That little runt is the root of all evil! He started it first!

The voice came again: _Hoho, so you say. Two wrongs don't necessarily make a right, you know._

I wondered if this was my subconscious manifesting as a reaction to my earlier plights of 'refusing to acknowledge my potential feelings towards Hibari'.

_No, not really; if you want me to be blunt - Hibari wants to see you NAKED._

What?

_Oh, come on, I mean, haven't you thought about the possibilities that Hibari might like you too? Why else would he agree to this challenge in the first place?_

I harrumphed in disapproval. Not really, no: I haven't thought about the possibilities at all because I know they are second to NONE. Here is my current possible status towards Hibari (ie, 'what Hibari may possibly think of me'):

**Worth staring at for a total of 2 minutes:** 1 percent  
**Personality value:** 25.5 percent  
**Wealth value:** 0.5 percent  
**Abilities that'll come in handy:** 12 percent  
**Worth his time to talk to:** 5 percent  
**Friend value:** 0 percent

Urgh. Stupid inner voice, I thought, frowning and still with fishing rod in hand. Leave me alone and stop trying to plague me with stupid ideas…

Suddenly, a flurry of shouts and yells bombarded the quiet, still woodland and I immediately perked up. What the - ? Trouble? I reeled back my line and quickly made my way back to our picnic spot frantically, and I saw dad and Hibari with something large thrashing and flailing around in their arms. I couldn't see what exactly it was, and hurriedly rushed over for a closer look, but as soon as I saw what it was that was lashing about in their grasps, my face fell.

"….P...Perry?"

"Hey, Rin! Look what Hibari-sama caught! It's Perry-san!" Dad exclaimed in shock, and the fishing rod dropped out of my hand, clattering to the ground. "Hurry and take a picture!"

My arms were unable to move.

Dad sighed and took the camera off me. "I'll do it. Here, you hold Perry-san with Hibari-sama. Go on." He nudged me towards Hibari's direction as half of the codfish was then dumped into my arms. I stood beside Hibari, staring spook-eyed at dad with my camera, as the shutter went off. At the same time, Hibari stalked off. As if he would get his photo taken, right? The picture developed a split second later, and dad gawked at the photo of me, a codfish, and a bit of Hibari's arm.

I ignored dad and turned back to Hibari, who let the overweight cod fish back into the water. "…..You caught Perry…" I mumbled out, "But….No-one's ever caught Perry before except from me…"

Dad looked up from the photo and patted my head. "Now, now, Rin, there's no need to feel jealous."

"….But…" I snivelled slightly, then I began to cry, letting my lungs rip with sobs and wails. "Perryyyyyyyyy, you traitor!"

Dad tried to cheer me up as I howled and wept like a baby in front of Hibari, who was attempting to hide his amusement. "Ah, ah, come on now, let's go get something to eat, alright? I made your favourite octopus wieners again! Haha… let's go eat…"

I tried to stop crying, reduced to a dribbling and hiccupping wreck, and I nodded, my eyes red and blotchy with tears. "O-Okay…"

We began to make our way back to camp, but just then, Hibari brushed past me and whispered in my ear, "Don't forget about our bet, herbivore. Loser has to run naked around the woods."

At that point, I cried harder.

**Later…**

After dinner, of carefully composed hamburgers and circumspectly crafted octopus wieners accompanied with dad's dreadful campfire singing, Hibari dragged me to a rather desolate location of the woodland far, far away from dad, who remained to clean and pack up for the rest of the night.

"D-Do I really have to…?"

"Backing down from a bet, Kazama Rin?" Hibari said, as soon as we arrived at a clearing.

"Wha – _**No**_, of course not. I never back down from anything!" I yelled, although, the terrible feeling swirling in my stomach just got ten times worse.

"Then get to it."

Urgh. He just can't wait for me to get my clothes off. WHOA, HOLD IT! That did not sound right! Ack, what's happening? Why is this happening? How could Hibari force me to strip off (again, another statement that sounds wrong). How could he be so mean to a girl? I could help but ponder what was the real truth behind all of this… Was my inner evil voice from before speaking the truth? No... can't be... I let out a meek whimper as I felt my cheeks flame up with embarrassment and I slowly removed my jacket (I decided to keep my boots on), before reluctantly tugged at my dungaree straps to pull it off.

In the middle of my state of undress, I stopped, "Hey - Why are you still here?" I barked furiously, my face still blazing red and hot, "How can I take off my clothes knowing you're still here? Go away, shoo!"

Hibari turned away at my request. He did not leave, however, and I felt like grabbing this extra sharp and thick tree branch that was conveniently lying beside my feet and stabbing him repeatedly with it. I quickly hopped behind a large bush and quickly stripped off the rest of my garments as fast as I could, then quickly bundled my clothes together, folding my underwear neatly into my jumper along with my socks. ARGH…. So humiliating… I shivered and wrapped my arms around myself, then sneezed.

"Are they off?" I heard Hibari ask.

"….Yes." I squeaked out, with tears in my eyes. I clenched my fists tightly in fury. _What a pervert! I will get my revenge... one day!_

And then Hibari said, "All you have to do is run a full lap, then return here. Your clothes won't go anywhere."

I threw away the rest of my dignity and stepped out, noticing that Hibari still had his back to me. My bare feet crunched over dead leaves and twigs, and I winced. The wind whipped around me and I sneezed again. Ugh… why did I come up with such a stupid bet?

"…O…Okay… Here I go…"

Without hesitating anymore, I closed my eyes and ran out. Of course, when you decided to run stupidly with your eyes closed, you don't see what's in front of you, so...

I flipped over and landed face-down on my front.

"Ow!"

Re-opening my eyes, I glanced over. My foot had got caught on a tree root sticking out from the ground. Me on the ground, my fists bundling up leaves and twigs, I wailed and looked up, to see Hibari who had turned round just-in-time to see what the ruckus was all about (What GOOD timing, Hibari!). I'm sure he must've had an unintended yet ample view of my drastically exposed bum cheeks.

"Nuuuu! Don't look at me! Turn aroundddd!"

He didn't need me yelling and screaming and covering myself with leaves to turn back round himself, before stomping away. GAH! Where's a paper bag to hide your face when you need one?

* * *

I came back to school the next day with the floozies.

You know, the feeling you get when you think everyone is staring at you and knows-what-you-did-last-summer and are now judging you some way or another.

Of course, I wanted to stay at home and hide but dad leaves for work at ten and I couldn't fiegn illness (Yes I can be that Pathetic) nor could I muster a fake cough or any of those sorts and dad, being the rather smart cookie he could be at inconvenient points in my life, didn't buy any of it so I had no choice but to go to school. I guess by all means, all I had to do to survive the school day was avoid Hibari like the Plague or as if he had Rabies or something. I walked through the corridor, hurriedly making my way to my locker, and for some reason, every student craned their head round to me as I passed them. What was with that dirty look that junior gave me? Why is that boy shaking his head? And what are those two girls by the billboard whispering about? Could it be? Do they somehow know about what I did during the fishing trip? Did Hibari spread it round the school already? I could imagine it clearly…so…clearly…

_By the way, did you hear? Kazama Rin from Year 2 ran around Komadachi Fishing Lake Woodlands naked. NAKED!_

NOOOOO!

As I reeled through a spiralling tornado of melancholy and depression, a voice behind me said, "Hey, Rin."

"I DIDN'T DO IT, I SWEAR! HIBARI'S LYING, THAT DIRTBAG, I – Oh, it's you, Takeshi."

"…Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Of course I am why wouldn't I be I feel just fine I mean it's not like I ran through the woods naked or something." I blabbered out, as Takeshi blinked blankly back at me. _Smooth move, Rin! _"Never mind! Just ignore me! I'm not feeling like myself today, hahaHAHA HAAAH! Er, yeh...So whatcha been up to?" I added quickly, sweating buckets. I grabbed the rest of my books before slamming my locker back shut, and held them tightly to myself, wanting to hide my face behind them.

Takeshi gave me a tiny grin as he leant against the lockers on his side with his hands in his pockets. "I heard news that taichou managed to get us an allocated time slot for the pitch. He said we can still play on Sundays, but for three hours only."

"What? Really?" I gushed out contentedly, "And… Hibari let him?"

"Yeah. But I heard taichou has to bray like a donkey and make monkey noises whenever he sees Hibari-san in school."

I made a funny noise then. "…Hmmmmmm...And what does that exactly accomplish?" I enquired, squinting an eye and scratching at my chin questioningly.

"I dunno. But at least we got our pitch back." Takeshi replied with a shrug, a concerned and uncomfortable expression engraved on his face. "…I feel bad that it's come down to this… but it also makes you wonder how many people who have no choice but to throw away their self-respect for Hibari-san?"

I cringed.

Now **that**, is something I have too much experience in. I said, with a shake of my head, "…You have no idea, Takeshi. Absolutely no idea…" And just as we passed the faculty office to reach the stairs and past a bunch of gossiping students, that was when I heard it:

"Hey... did you _hear_? Those gangsters called Mitsukuni and Otogi from Second Year are out of hospital..."


	7. A Bad Case of the Crazies

Hmm, I think I'd run naked so I wouldn't have to do my thesis! Aside from suffering from Mary-Sue-itis and OOC-galore, this chapter is undeniably predictable (as most of you have commented in reviews about what would happen if Mitsukuni and Otogi came back). You're also probably wondering where this fic is actually heading. It –does- have a plot but it won't manifest now.

Enjoy anyway!

**Chapter 7**

_A Bad Case of the Crazies_

During the lunch break, I realised where life's inevitable path would be taking me and decided to go to the computer suite to look up Life Insurance and potential lawyers who handle the very sensitive ordeal called Writing-Up-Your-Will. I even wrote a checklist of what I would do with my belongings (and what needed to be shredded), and even pondered the following options – should I be cremated or buried? I also made a speech, apologising to dad for faking his signature on every homework slip I got from school, for falling asleep in class, for being late so much, for getting so much detention, and so far, dad is the only one who would inherit everything I had, aside from Takeshi, who would inherit my baseball bat and mitt. And Kazuya, would inherit my room (if he ever decided to come and stay).

Furthermore, I decided to donate my organs to the hospital, and the rest of my body (if it shall ever be recovered) to Tokyo University for scientists and anatomists to poke at, and for students to laugh at. I know, I know, I am only 16 years old yet so depressed. It's no wonder I have worry lines all over my forehead. But it can't be helped, you see; I had planned to hide in bed for the rest of my life – but then I thought that wasn't very productive and… let's face it, it wasn't a plan for the long term…

Once the bell rang for home, I quickly strode past Hibari's seat to get to the door; he was packing his belongings and I threw him a cautious glance from the corner of my eyes as I passed. At the same time, Hibari swerved his eyes up to me. Immediately, I turned away, then hurried quickly out of the classroom.

I left the school precinct, and back onto my usual path home desolately. Further down the road, I felt a shiver run down my spine, and I stopped in my tracks, checked my wristwatch. I'd been walking for at least ten minutes. Curiously, I threw a glance around the neighbourhood block.

Hmm… I couldn't shake off this strange feeling… _Have you ever had the feeling that you were being __**followed**__?_

I quickly turned my head back round only to see no-one behind me. The streets were surprisingly stark empty, save for a couple walking their dog opposite me, an old man hobbling on his walking stick down the road, and a man sitting in his car flossing his teeth in the rear-view mirror.

Strange… I was so sure someone had been trailing after me. I looked around once more inquisitively but no-one was close enough to be following me. I pursed my lips in thought, then shrugged and continued down my path; I'm probably thinking too much. I'm too stressed these days. And I'm just getting plain paranoid.

As I strolled down, it dawned to me that I could hear a pair of footsteps coincide with my own. Hm? I slowed my pace down and the footsteps did the same. From the corner of my eyes, I suddenly spied a shadow close by behind me, before the shadow briefly merged with mine on the sidewalk. For a moment, I began to panic. What if it was some crazy madman? But it was broad daylight, there were people here. He wouldn't jump at me at this precise moment, would he? Sweating slightly, I continued forward, unsure what to do. Confront my stalker? Or act as if I was oblivious and walk to the nearest police station?

What if it was Mitsukuni and Otogi?

I continued my stroll nervously, still glancing from the corner of my eyes at the shadow. Hmm, the more I looked at it, the shadow seemed vaguely familiar…. The person following me did not seem intent on stopping in his pursuit. I tried to think of a solution, quick, as I neared the entrance to a shady-looking alleyway, but suddenly a hand grabbed my shoulder and I screamed.

"Herbivore." Said a familiar voice.

I turned round shakily to see Hibari, who let go of my shoulder. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief, before throwing my gaze down to my feet forlornly.

For a moment, he scrutinised me thoroughly, at my sullen, sunken expression. "What's the matter with you?"

_Hibari's asking, what was the matter with me? What do you think was the matter with me? How could I possibly still have the courage to face you, you jerk? _

After everything that has happened – that awful time he came to my home, the baseball game, and the fishing trip – the mental images were burned in my mind. I knew they had become deep scars embedded all over me. I closed my eyes and turned away from him, clutching my bag tightly to myself. I just wanted to somehow disappear on the spot.

"Answer me, herbivore."

"…Why are you here?"

Hibari seemed rather surprised by my woeful, sympathetic response. He raised an eyebrow, "Don't you know?"

"What?" I muttered out, refusing to look at him. At the precise moment, I was feeling very, very depressed and just wanted to hide. "…That Mitsukuni and Otogi are finally out of hospital? So what?"

There was a slight hesitation from the Prefect. He continued to ogle me suspiciously. "This isn't like you."

"What do you mean?" came my response, then I added, after realising I didn't really care what he meant by that, "Why are you followingme anyway? …Are you _worried_?"

There was yet again, another unexpected brief hesitation from Hibari. "That's none of your business." He finally barked back, before turning away from me and taking off back down the way he came.

I watched his retreating back. I assumed Hibari hadn't been expecting those responses from me at all. Usually (he must have supposed), I would be cowering under him and sobbing and wailing and going 'Why are you picking on me, Hibari-san?'. Not today. Life was too short to be afraid of him. I had worse matters to attend to. Hibari no longer made seventy-five percent of it. I watched his retreating back with a slight triumphant edge.

…_I don't feel afraid of him as I usually do anymore._

I supposed I also wasn't surprised when I was yanked from behind by a force. Maybe I was even expecting it. A hand covered my mouth as I was dragged further into the alleyway and my bag was pulled off - it was then rummaged through – my cellphone was wrenched out and thrown against the wall. But then my bag was dumped to the side and I was suddenly brought to a halt and shoved forwards. I toppled over, stumbling over my own two feet when my assailants had finally stepped into the light.

"You remember us, don't cha?"

I squinted my eyes and attempted to get a better look. The faces of the two boys who had kidnapped me off the street were hardly recognisable, with their swollen noses and those reddish, purple bruises all over. But inwardly, I already knew who they were. It was Mitsukuni and Otogi.

"Hm. You don't look surprised to see us."

"I saw this coming." I replied, as calmly as I could, but deep inside, I was terrified.

"What that little bastard Hibari Kyouya did to us is nothing compared to what we're going to do to you." Otogi hissed out, and he grabbed my collar and lifted me off the ground entirely.

Mitsukuni then stepped forward and delved a hand into his pocket, before protruding out the handle of a small swiss army knife, and flipped the blade out. I watched the gleaming blade in horror as he let it near my jawline, the cold, sharp tip pressed over my skin and I trembled ferociously. "Scared?" He leered at me as Otogi held me up, "…You should be. We're going to cut your face off that your father won't even be able to recognise you."

I closed my eyes and my jaw went taut, my teeth clenching. I waited for something to happen. I had hoped Hibari might come back, since he hadn't gone that far the moment I was taken here. But then again, why would Hibari want to help me? I'm a headache to him. Maybe my knight in the black suit and purple shirt would come and save me again. Maybe he'd come and beat these two to a soggy pulp and rearrange their faces. Inwardly, I hoped he would. I wanted him to come.

But…

No-one came.

The harsh reality settled in when the knife came mere millimetres near my face. This wasn't TV. This wasn't an anime. This was real-life. This was the six o'clock news. There would be no handsome stranger to come and sweep me off my feet. It just wouldn't work that way. Not for me, anyway. Who was I to have special treatment? I was a loser. I was nobody. I would come out of this with my face cut off. I began to feel weak and my vision began to get dark; I could feel the air leaving my lungs. My hand on their arm loosened and my grip hung slack and I was ready to give up and close my eyes and just get it over with when...

Otogi suddenly went flying to the far wall.

**SLAM.**

Mitsukuni jerked back in fright as the unconscious body of his friend slid to the ground. A few bricks plopped out from an indistinct human-shaped hole in the wall, clattering over Otogi in a cloud of dust and debris. "What the - ?" And he stepped back away from me, his hand trembling with the knife.

Nothing happened.

But then -

"….I'm in a bad mood at the moment…and I really want to bite someone to death," growled a voice hidden in the darkness, "Looks like you two will have to do for now."

I took this opportunity to quickly crawl away to a safer spot. Meanwhile, Mitsukuni gazed around the dark alleyway a little frantically, frozen on his spot, "Who are you? W-Where are you? Come out and face me like a man – Oof!" He was briefly cut off when something cuffed the side of his head.

And then, a tall man in a black suit and purple shirt emerged from another entrance to the alleyway and stepped directly in front of me.

Mitsukuni was reeling with shock. "Y-You bastard! I'll get you!" He let out a roar of anger as soon as he had collected himself and rushed at him, while Black Suit Purple Shirt-san kept still and I was going to scream and yell at him to run or duck - just as Mitsukuni came at him with his swiss army pocket knife, he bent down and came back up behind him in a smooth motion, narrowly avoiding an attack, and then there was the briefest flash of quick silver when Mitsukuni was suddenly sent spiralling to the ground by another devastating and unseen blow which had completely swiped him off his feet. Just then, Otogi, who was also sprawled on the floor, finally rose back up after regaining his senses, and I knew what was going to happen next - with a mighty bellow of rage, he threw himself at the man in the black suit and purple shirt…

Without even flinching or batting an eyelid, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san rammed his weapon upwards and under his chin without even a sideways glance. And Otogi went reeling in a three hundred and sixty degree angle, eventually landing at the feet of his fallen comrade, defeated once again.

"Lay a hand on her again…" Black Suit Purple Shirt-san murmured, as the purple flames dissimilated into thin air. He adjusted the lapels of his suit again and dusted at his sleeves, before throwing an uncaring glance at the unconscious boy who was sprawled at his feet in a puddle of blood. "…_I'll kill you_."

I watched silently as Mitsukuni and Otogi wobbled on the ground, swaying, before their knees completely collapsed underneath them.

Before long, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san turned to me. His expression softened as I gawped at him.

I had a lot of questions; why was he here, and what were those things he was using to fight? And why were they on fire anyway? Why didn't he catch on fire, too? But before any of that could spew forth from my mouth, he reached an arm out towards me and I stepped back.

It was instinct, but I believed I saw a hint of despondency in his eyes at my reaction.

"…Are you afraid of me?"

His voice was quiet, stoic. I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat, then, after a long pause, I shook my head meekly.

He seemed pleased with my response then, and knelt down in front of me. I blinked back at him blankly, as he took hold of my arm and lifted me back up onto my feet. Then, Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy turned my palms round and up to him. I winced slightly; when I was shoved to the ground, the skin got scratched. My once intact (and beeeeeautiful) palms were throbbing and covered in small, itching red slits where the flesh split open.

"Your survival is vital." He muttered, before he delved a hand into his pocket and returning with a handkerchief. He folded the handkerchief up neatly before pressing it hard against my scabby hands. I yelped out as a dull pain coursed through me and wanted to pull my hands back. "Don't move."

I winced and bit down on my lip and tried to inch away.

"I said don't move." He said. I swallowed as he smothered and dabbed away at the blood over my chipped hands. Surprisingly enough, I felt like a child who had fallen off her bike… "Remember this one thing: I won't be there for you all the time. For your own sake, stay out of the trouble."

His grip on my hands seemed to have tightened and I flinched again. I took this as a cue to speak, "… I thought Hibari would – I, uh – you know what? Never mind." I glanced to the side with a scowl, "….Stupid Hibari… can't depend on him for anything…I could've died." Then I turned back to Black Suit Purple Shirt-san with a tender smile. "But thank _**you **_for saving me. Thank you for going all Blazblue on their asses."

He watched me for a few seconds or so, before pulling me into a tight embrace. I went 'oof' when my face slammed into his chest. I struggled but to no avail. "….Mmffphh…" I muffled out, before finally pulling away slightly for air. "I can't breathe – "

"…I'm sorry."

I looked up at him; our faces merely millimetres apart. Immediately, I blushed and quickly looked away. "T-That's okay." I blabbered, but somehow... I got the feeling he wasn't apologising for almost crushing the air out of my lungs. He let go of me, and stood back up straight. I stared up at him, blinking numbly, waiting. He chose not to add anything to that; instead, he cast me another vacant look with before turning away without another word. I took a step forwards after him. "Wait! Did…Did you know this was going to happen?"

He stopped, but he never turned around. "What gives you that impression?"

"I don't know. Everything just seems… odd." I blurted out nervously, "Why are you here anyway?"

"…I came to warn you." He replied, "Don't go to school tomorrow."

"Uwha - ?" I spluttered out. "Why? Because of Mitsukuni and – "

His response was instantaneous. "_No_. They are the least of your problems. There is a larger threat that lies in store for you."

"H-How do you - ? I mean…what is going on here? What are you talking about?" I babbled out in confusion. What was happening? I didn't get a word he was saying. Was Black Suit Purple Shirt-san just nothing but a rambling, raving lunatic? What if he wasn't some kind of superhero as I thought? What if he was this patient – but l totally hot - _**mental **_patient who had escaped from an asylum for those with the crazies and had marked me as his target? I whipped my head back up to him when I heard him turning round. "You're leaving now?"

"…Don't look for me."

And he stepped out of the alleyway, turning a sharp right. I could hear his quiet footsteps echoing off the pavement, and then suddenly…

They… vanished.

For a few minutes, I was too stunned to register what had just happened, but then I finally managed to snap out of my dazed stupor to gather up my belongings and my broken cellphone (I sniffed and mourned), before breaking off into a sprint out of the alleyway. I had so many questions, no answers.

_Alas, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san, are you perhaps a rambling, raving lunatic who had escaped from a mental institution and had now marked me down as a target? _

I didn't know, and it annoyed me to no end. Idiot! I thought, I had even forgotten to ask for a name! How retarded could I possibly get? "W-Wait!" I ran out just in time to bump into someone. Before I could fall over, a hand gripped my arm and I looked up. "...Hibari-san - ?"

He glared at me thoroughly. "Herbivore…"

"What? Where did you - ? Why? When did you…? How did - Huh?" I choked out in shock, unable to complete full sentences. "I thought you went home…? Why are you here? Did you come back for me?"

Hibari didn't reply and glanced over my shoulder, where the two unconscious forms of Otogi and Mitsukuni were lying spread-eagled on the alleyway. "….Did you do that?"

"Huh? N-No – " I babbled out, but then – "Actually, if I said 'yes', will that make you have a much higher opinion of me?"

Hibari said nothing yet narrowed his eyes at me.

"Okay, fine, I guess that's a 'no' then. And _no_, I didn't beat them up." I swallowed down slightly, "You really… were going to come back for me just to see if I was okay?"

Immediately, Hibari replied, "No."

I didn't believe him one bit. I had wanted to believe that Hibari still had a tiny spot of compassion somewhere within a fibre of his being, maybe tucked away neatly under a capillary of some sort? "Well… Black Suit Purple Shirt-san saved me." I said, "And he patched up my hands." When I saw Hibari's blank expression, I sighed once more and decided to explain, "…Um…You… didn't see him on your way here at all?"

He merely responded me with another blank stare, his eyes fixated into empty space.

"You know – a man – tall, with dark hair, wearing a suit? Oh, come on. You must've seen someone like that hanging around in town by now."

"No."

"Aigoo…I may as well been asking a brick wall. So… he really did vanish, huh? Into thin air?" I questioned under my breath, "… I'm sure I heard him disappear. He was walking…then… his footsteps just… faded away somewhere. I was going to follow him, but a part of me was a bit scared. Sorry, I'm not making much sense here, am I?"

Hibari looked at me with half-lidded eyes one again. "No." He turned away and began to storm out.

"Hey, wait for me, Hibari-san." I picked up pace and hurriedly followed him out of the alleyway, back towards the direction of home.

….

I'm starting to re-evaluate my opinion of Black Suit Purple Shirt-san. This whole secret, provocative superhero/mental patient thing was really starting to worry me. The first thing when dad came back, I would tell him – I would tell him about a strange man in his mid-twenties who had saved me more than once, but somehow… the action seemed to have some other conspiracy behind it. Or so it seemed.

It was about seven in the evening and Dad wasn't home from work (working overtime today. Boohoo, there goes my telling-dad-about-BS-PS-G. I'm sure when he comes back he'll be too tired to listen and just head to bed). I ripped up my will and cancelled registration with the funeral care services. I also had to make dinner by myself and it really did make me feel grateful that I had dad at home to cook dinner whenever I came back from school, so I would find homemade curry rice and sekihan cooking in the kitchen. Instead I sighed as I stuffed my face with microwave macaroni and downed a can of cream soda, watching the late night premier movie, recalling the terrifying ordeal from this afternoon. Black Suit Purple Shirt had successfully defeated the gangsters… should I actually be more afraid of_ him_ instead?

After dumping the dishes in the sink, I was too lazy to wash them and returned to my bedroom and sat at my desk, staring at Hibari's window opposite mine. Then I swerved my eyes up to the sky where I could see the full moon and the stars. I sighed a little and then looked around my room. The house feels really empty… Dad's rarely worked late at night. I'm always used to him being at home…

_Then again, Hibari's been alone half his entire life._

Again, I swerved my eyes to Hibari's window opposite mine when I saw Hibari's light flick on, and before long, he stormed inside. He paused for a second, after spotting me gawking at him from halfway across the yard, and I quickly sat up in my chair and went to the window, then opened it. "Hibari." I said, leaning over my windowsill. I gestured at him energetically, while he stared back at me. "Hibari-san, open your window. I need to talk to you."

I wondered if he could even hear me. A few seconds later, with me still gesturing like crazy and almost falling out of my window and breaking my neck if I hadn't grasped my curtains in time to pull myself back up, Hibari finally lifted up his window, and moved to sit on his windowsill. His mouth moved but I didn't quite hear him properly.

"Huh?" I put a hand to my ear, indicating that I couldn't hear him as well as I thought I could from our distance. Huh, our houses didn't seem that far apart from ground level.

Hibari repeated his words again but I still couldn't hear.

Hm. This may be a problem. "One moment, please."

Again, I wasn't sure if he had heard me but I ducked back into my room and rummaged around my closet, before emerging out with two cans conjoined together by the bases with a piece of string. With one can in hand, I tossed the other in the air as far as I could over to Hibari, then put the remaining can in my grasp to my mouth. Hibari didn't bother to pick his can up.

I frowned and pointed to the can furiously so he could follow my example. A few moments later, he smashed it against the outer brick wall just underneath his windowsill.

I screamed, my mouth dropping open in shock. "HOW _DARE_ YOU?"

"What do you want?"

I blinked back at him, then – "Urh. You are UNBELIEVABLE. I was going to thank you earlier on for coming back for me but then you just went ahead and trashed my Telecan so THIS MEANS WAR!"

"Is that all?" Hibari demanded tiredly. He moved away from the windowsill to slam the window back shut but I waved my arms around frantically.

"W-Wait, Hibari-san!"

"What now?" He turned away from me and fixated his stare upwards at the moon.

I scoffed and quickly reeled in my Telecan from Hibari's side (which I had not the opportunity to use at all, sniff) and replaced them into my closet to be fixed later on. " …What happened to Mitsukuni and Otogi anyway?"

"They won't come back."

"You killed them?"

"…No." He replied, "I called the authorities."

"Oh." There was a slight silence following my response. I recoiled in shock and did a double take: was I… was I actually having a conversation… with _Hibari_?

"Where's your father." He then said.

I looked back up, and sighed. "He's not back from work yet." I mumbled despondently, hugging my knees to my chest, "…The house feels bigger and it's too quiet. If… If only Kazuya was here…"

Hibari flicked his gaze over to me. "Kazuya?"

"My brother."

"Brother?"

I remembered that Hibari hadn't had the opportunity to come across him yet, nor had I really revealed much information regarding the other side of my family. I wasn't quite sure why I felt like sharing information with him, too. "Yeah. He lives with my mom."

Hibari's mouth moved, but I wasn't listening to him anymore.

I was thinking.

I was thinking of something that happened to me a long, long time ago…

* * *

Sorry, I'm going to have to stop it there. Rin's flashbacking, just to let you know, so the next chapter will have a bit of her past since there's been nothing much about her background.

Last but not least...

FISH AND CHIPS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Ahem, I would like you to take part in an experiment, my faithful readers!

Um... and I'm actually not sure if I'm allowed to do this... but I have a link that goes to a survey I would like you to spare a couple of your time in completing. I need to do surveys for a class of mine, but I would like you guys to test one for me as I need to find out prior to see if this software works or not! Thanks a bunch!

http:/www (dot) surveymonkey (dot) com/s/S83ZKQ3


	8. What's with all the Shady Guys?

Thank you for completing the survey. It was fun, ne? The results were... interesting. Lol. At least I know if the software works now. Thanks a bunch! :D This chapter is about Rin's work at the Maid Café (lol it was mentioned in Chapter 1 but I'm only writing about it now T.T).

**Chapter 8**

_What's with all the Shady Guys?_

_Night-time. In a quiet street of Namimori..._

"How do you like your new home, Rin?"

In the living room, a little girl was lying on her back on the sofa seat, upside down so her head dangled, her hair touching the floor. Beside her, was a pink rabbit plush toy that was also lying on its back with its ears drooping down the seat. "…Hmph. I like our old house better. And there's this nasty boy next door. He bit me and pushed me to the ground when I tried to give him some toffee."

Sitting on the floor, a man busily sifts through hurdles of large cardboard boxes. The movers had been kind enough to dump all their belongings in the living room. "Oh, that must be Hibari-san's son, Kyouya." said the man, smiling helplessly, "…He's younger than you, so you should treat him like a little brother."

She pulled a face and snorted angrily. "No. Way."

Kazama Taizo and his five-year old daughter Rin, had just moved house. Originally, they lived in Chugoku - he had family and friends – ie, his sister, and a man named Hibari, who had offered him a small shop unit at a discounted rate located in Namimori town centre; and Taizo decided to purchase it and set up his own business. Their new locksmith establishment proudly stood a few blocks away a local sushi restaurant, which was managed by a man named Yamamoto Tsuyoshi.

Their house was enough for a lone divorcee and his one child. It had two bedrooms only, one bathroom, a small garage (_which would become his workshop_), two equally small gardens and a backporch, perfect for sitting and eating watermelons in the summer. In other words, it was exactly what Kazama Taizo was looking for.

The father-and-daughter duo had been sorting through junk after the movers had dumped their stuff around the living room in the morning. Rin had a new bedroom which she believed was haunted. They had spent an entire day dusting and cleaning and arranging furniture. They had a few visits from neighbours and they seemed nice (except from that kid who bit her and shoved her to the ground).

Rin sat back up, overcome with dizziness as the blood rushed away from her head after sitting the wrong way up for so long, with sticky taffee all smothered all over her hands and mouth from a toffee apple Hibari-san's wife had kindly offered to her before. "No way." She repeated herself, "I want an older brother instead. I want an older brother to look after me and beat up that Kyou-kid whenever I tell him to!"

Taizo took a while to respond. "…You _do_ have a brother. An older brother." He said. She didn't quite understand. Taizo rummaged through a cardboard box and eventually lifted out a large folder-of-some sorts. "Don't you remember, Rin?"

"….No. I don't."

"I know, I know, you're probably wondering where all of this suddenly came from, eh?" Taizo said, flicking through the rustic-looking folder he had propped up in front of his lap, while Rin scrabbled up from the sofa and crawled over to his shoulder. She giggled as she got toffee from her hands all over him in progress.

"Eww, Rinnie, don't do that." He reprimanded her gently, pulling out a tissue from his pocket to dab and smother at her mouth.

She winced and struggled away but then ended up sliding onto the ground to sit beside dad. She looked up at him as he wiped at her sticky face; for as long as she could remember, it had always been just herself and her dad. It was as if she suddenly realised she was living one day and that her dad had always been looking after her. Her dad was so tall and broad, with a kind, gentle face. He smelt a tad like metal because of his work – not necessarily in a bad way – and Rin blinked as soon as he finished, then smiled and eased herself comfortably to sit in the same way he was sitting, staring at the folder he had. "What is that?"

"A photo album. I was going to put these into the attic, but I'll show you a picture first." He flipped through and finally stopped halfway through. "…Here, that's a photo of him."

Rin squinted at the picture he was pointing to – it was a picture of her dad in a kimono, with a baby dressed in a pink one-piece garment in his arms, and a little boy with black hair and brown eyes was standing by his side, a hand gripping dad's kimono sleeve. This rapscallion little boy in a t-shirt and shorts, he was grinning widely at the camera, his face smeared with a few flecks of dirt and grit.

"Look, there's you when you were a baby, and there's your brother."

She stared, hard, at the grinning boy. "That's my brother?"

He nodded.

"…Then… Where's mom?" She asked, prodding her finger repeatedly at the boy's face, and dad shooed her finger away because she was getting sticky goo over it even though he had tried to clean her up as much as possible, "Dad, why don't you have any pictures of mom?"

Dad opened his mouth, but then merely smiled and patted her head.

"I… don't have a mom?"

"Huh? Oh, no…No, no, no, Rinnie, you have a mom, but…. Well, she doesn't live with us. She lives with your brother. She's looking after him."

"Why aren't they living with us?"

"Your mom and I split up a long time ago - when you were just a baby, in fact. I know, this must be hard for you to intake, but I wanted you to know as soon as possible. I don't want you to forget him."

"You want onii-san to come back?" Rin said, and dad nodded. Then, she smiled widely and nodded too. "Then, I want him to come back as well! I want to meet him. I hope he's really nice and gives me tonnes of sweeties!"

"...You really don't remember him, Rin?" Dad asked, "Well, it's not surprising, you were only about two years old…"

"I'll try and remember!" Rin scrabbled back up and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking hard, wishing hard. She tried to pinpoint her earliest memory of her life…

It was fuzzy…

A few seconds later, she re-opened her eyes. "….I can't remember." She mumbled back dolefully, "...What's his name, dad?"

"Kazuya." Dad then said, "His name is Kazuya."

"Kazuya? Really? Cool! I really want to meet him! I want to meet him I want to meet him I want to meet him RIGHT NOWWWWW!" Rin stood up, then picked up her Pink Rabbit toy that was lying on the sofa and began to shake it to and fro ferociously, its head bobbing up and down crazily in her grip.

Dad chuckled, patting her head again, "Calm down, Rin. It's head will fall off." He closed the photo album and replaced it back into the box that was meant to be placed in the attic as Rin stopped throwing the Rabbit toy around. "…Don't forget him, Rin… Don't forget, that somewhere in this world, you still have a brother…"

Rin blinked, the words echoing in her mind.

_I have a brother…_

_His name is Kazuya..._

_I… want to meet him…_

* * *

"Herbivore."

"...Herbivore."

I looked back up, at Hibari. "…Hah? Oh, uh, sorry...um... Hibari-san? May I ask you something?"

"What?"

"….Is it weird, when you have family who you've never even met before?" I asked timidly, "Dad says Kazuya left with my mom when I was really small. I can hardly remember them…But… I've always been told they're out there somewhere. They… just don't want anything to do with us. I can't help but feel slightly rejected."

Hibari glanced at me from the corner of his eyes, then turned away. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself. It makes me really want to bite you to death."

"Uh...Okay, fine. I'll, uh, try and stop feeling, uh... sorry for myself from now on."

"Your phone's ringing."

I gave him a funny look, then I quickly glanced to my open bedroom door, where indeed, the sound of our house phone was emitting softly in the empty living room. It seemed to reverberate everywhere in the house. I hadn't noticed at all, engrossed with my own moment of assumed self-wallowing as Hibari 'kindly' pointed out. I turned to Hibari. "….You can hear that all the way from there? Really? Wow, I didn't know you had such supersonic hearing."

He decided to ignore me and retreated back into his room, slamming his window shut. I followed suit, before hurrying out of my room and dashing down the stairs to pick up the phone. "Hello?" I said, as soon as I placed the receiver to my ear. I wondered if it was dad calling to tell me that he wouldn't be home until midnight.

"Heeey, Rin-chan!" exclaimed a cheerful voice from the other end.

"….Hanabi?"

The cheerful voice continued, "Yeah, listen. Sorry for the short notice, but Mai's gone home because she threw up all over the floor and we really need an extra pair of hands at the café. I know you don't work until Tuesday, but…Do you think you can come in this evening? Maybe work two or three hours?"

I checked the clock on the wall. It was half seven now. After a brief moment of hesitation, I said, "Sure." I figured I could use the extra monies to buy that newly released video game I had wanted so badly.

"Awesome, I knew I could count on ya, chicka. Now git yer ass over to Kokuyo right now, heehee!"

And the phone went dead immediately.

_**9pm. **_

**Kokuyo District.**

"Rin-chan! There's a customer ~ "

I work at a Maid Café part-time, although they said my contract was 'zero-hours'. Usually they call me all of a sudden whenever someone is sick or they have a busy spell, mostly during the weekends. Needless to say, I take my work very seriously. Even if I am forced to wear so much _lace_ and _frills_…

The door to the café opened and the bell jingled, signalling the arrival of another potential customer. Dutifully, I bowed down and exclaimed with my high-pitched and squeaky fake voice, "_Welcome home, Master – _"

"So, this is where you waste your time, herbivore."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, I stopped. And froze up all over, going completely still as a statue…_Had I heard right?_

I looked up, and almost had a heart attack. I had not mistaken. Hibari smirked back at me, scrutinising me at the same time. His demeanour contrasted heavily with the pink and sugary atmosphere of our Maid Café. I stood, unable to comprehend the precise situation, yet I still managed to gape at him stupidly in complete astonishment. I did not expect him here. Not at all. He took one look at me, inspecting me from head to toe, and I blushed furiously. I was in my ridiculous maid costume, with the short black dress and fancy, frilly white apron, accompanied with a white bonnet strapped over my head, and the ribbon choker. I was stuck, unable to move my dolly shoe-clad feet. Hibari took off his jacket and thrust it into my arms.

"Show me my seat."

I was at a loss of words, but nodded and found myself inching towards an empty table at the very far corner. He sat down in the pink and white plastic seat, crossed his legs and picked up the menu that was printed on white and pink card with floral swirly patterns and lovehearts and skimmed the contents with a rather bemused expression plastered on his face.

"What time does this establishment close?"

"…Eleven."

"And what time do you finish?"

"…Eleven."

"Hmph." He frowned squarely at the menu, as if trying to burn holes into the pink, Marc Jacobs perfumed cover. Was this guy in front of me really Hibari Kyouya? Was it really him in the flesh? In a Maid Café? But…. How? And why? What the hell was going on?

"Er….How did you know I work here?" I asked, a little nervously. I wondered if he had seen me leaving the house, and getting on the train to Kokuyo.

He decided to ignore me and rummaged through the first page of the menu thoroughly, "….Tsundere roleplay...Ear cleaning service… Foot massage… Eyebrow threading…" His expression scrunched up and he then looked at the beverages section, completely ignoring the snacks section. "And what do you serve here that isn't swimming in caffeine?"

"….We…We also have milkshakes, smoothies, a variety of fruit juices and the option of decaffeinated coffee….. _sir_." I croaked out, my mouth going as dry as sawdust immediately.

At the word 'sir', Hibari raised a slender eyebrow, but smirked nevertheless. "I'll have a decaffeinated double espresso. I expect it in two minutes." He closed the menu and handed it back to me.

"T-Two minutes!" I choked out, "Are you trying to get yourself thrown out?"

"According to your mission statement, adhering to the customer needs is your establishment's top priority no matter what."

I stiffly accepted the menu from him and bowed. "…Yes, sir." Then I moved robotically back to the counter, taking long, choppy strides, while opening up my cheque book to scribble in Hibari's order. I picked up a cup and saucer and waddled up to Hanabi, the energetic co-worker I work with, who was currently making a milkshake on the blender. I was charge of serving customers at the café floor tonight.

The girl stopped blending the kiwi and milk concoction and turned round. "You want something, sweetie?"

"Erm, I need one double espresso, decaf."

"Sure thing, sweetie." She said, "Who was that guy you just served? He's adorable." She added, giggling as she ogled Hibari from behind the counter.

I felt like hurling my entire stomach contents on the floor (which would be a shame because I did a good job mopping it up earlier on). "Hanabi, please – "

She began to make the espresso, sliding the cup in place and pressing the button, but still turned to me, grinning widely. "Really, who is he? What's his name? How old is he? Oh my goshness! I-Is he _**single**_?"

"You've already got a boyfriend!"

"Yes, I know, but I still wanna know." She grinned helplessly. "Come on. Stop being selfish and hogging all the cuties to yourself, Rinnie."

"Are you kidding me?" I almost screamed out loud, before remembering that Hibari was only seated at a table not too far from here. I reminded myself thoroughly to keep my tone of voice down, "That's the demon spawn!"

Hanabi went wide-eyed as her mouth formed a tiny 'o'. "Really? That's him. But he's so good-looking."

I placed my hands on my hips and shook my head in disapproval. "So? Being good-looking doesn't mean you can't be a douchebag." I replied, as Hanabi settled the espresso cup onto the saucer as soon as it was done.

"That's very true." Hanabi replied, scratching at her chin thoughtfully. But then she snapped her fingers, grinning wickedly as she then placed both hands on my shoulders. "I know! Let's do all horrible sorts of things to the food he orders. Heh heh heh, let's spit in his coffee!"

As tempting as it sounded, I frowned at her with half-lidded eyes. "Just because he's not nice doesn't mean we have to do that to someone. That's like… stooping to a whole new level of low."

She sulked and let go of me, "….Fine. But you sound so upset whenever you talk about him… this is the perfect time for revenge."

"No, let me handle it." I said, giving her a fierce nod as I clenched my fist in determination. "I am confident in myself. I don't really know why, but, oh well…"

Hanabi returned to cleaning out the coffee machine unquestioningly, wiping at the steam spout with her damp cloth, "…Fine…But if I were you, I'd seriously consider it." She winked at me, but then suddenly her expression clouded. "Oh, and by the way, be careful of that guy just by the table near the door when you pass. He keeps giving me weird looks…Just watch out, 'kay?" She gestured to the man she was talking about – it happened to be a male in his mid-twenties who was staring around suspiciously, his eyes shifting side to side. His leg was trembling under the table, jerking against the underside of the table repeatedly, as his hands cupped a steaming mug of cappuccino that was rattling on the surface.

I swallowed. "Will do. Thanks…" I muttered, and she punched me playfully on the shoulder and mouthed 'good luck' and a 'go get 'em, tiger' as I bravely made my way over to Hibari with the espresso wobbling on a black circular tray. As soon as I passed that shady individual Hanabi had just warned me mere seconds about; in process, my foot accidentally got caught and I stumbled forwards just a little.

Immediately, that shady guy jumped up and caught me in time, his arm wrapped around my waist tightly. "Are you alright?"

I felt an instinct breach of personal space and quickly pulled away from him. "U-Um, yeah, I'm fine, thanks…"

"Sure thing." He grinned back at me and slid back into his seat.

Shaking, I turned away and quickly hurried past onwards to Hibari; I threw a worried glance over my shoulder but didn't see anything on the floor which had managed to make me trip up. I dismissed the thought for now and breathed a sigh of relief, as I noticed that the espresso I was holding was still intact. Surprisingly enough, I felt safe as soon as I stopped in front of Hibari's table. The prefect looked up, eyeing me again from head to toe with a strange, almost curious expression. He was staring intently at the bow atop my head...

"Er-hem." I cleared my throat loudly to catch his undivided attention, then threw on my fake, phony girlie-girl moe voice again, accompanied with a fake, phony smile. "Your espresso, sir. Thank you for waiting." As soon as I placed the espresso down, I hastily made my way back to counter, watching Hibari as he suspiciously glared at the cup that was placed in front of him.

From the safety behind the counter, I bared my teeth at him, hissing like a cat. "Just look at him, looking all smug and snug, sitting there and sipping his stupid decaf espresso." I watched Hibari from the corner of my eye while Hanabi carefully placed some coffee on the tray that was to be served. "He makes me_ sick_."

"Yes, yes, sweetie. Remember to do a checkback. See if he wants anything else."

"Do I have to…?"

"Hey, it's part of your job description."

Grumbling, I took the tray and served the corresponding customers their coffee, before finally waddling back up to Hibari's table. "How is the coffee, sir?"

Hibari focused on the poster with bright pink bubble lettering outlining our café's mission statement, which was to provide the best possible 'memorable and personal experience to otaku fans and all members of the public alike' that was blu-tacked onto the far wall. "How much do they pay you, herbivore? Do you find your employment at this dismal establishment more important than school?"

It was then I knew he had crossed the line, and I put my hand on my hip, frowning. "I like working here."

"Because you get to wear such an evocative and revealing outfit?"

A fierce blush spread over my cheeks and I pulled down at the bottom of my skirt to further cover my thighs, before shaking my head furiously, "N-No! It's not that reason at all!"

"As clumsy as you are, you didn't trip back there."

I was surprised Hibari even bothered to tell me that. I nervously turned back to the shady guy who, fortunately, hadn't heard our conversation; the other customers were busy chatting and talking to Hanabi behind the counter or engrossed with their own endeavours to notice us two in the corner. "W-What are you trying to say …?"

Instead, he said, "Is your father aware that you are working in a place like this?"

I flushed, gripping down on the rims of my skirt tightly. Now was not the place to strike up an argument. Obviously Hibari was just being his usual jackass self again with the insults. "…Of course he is. And what's it to you? Why do you care where I work?"

"I don't." He replied back tiredly, "Your herbivorous lifestyle does not concern me."

"Good! Does that mean you're done ruining my life?"

"Far from it."

I began to feel slightly dizzy. Urh… what? Had I heard right again? Before I could say anything else, I reminded myself thoroughly where I was at the moment. I was working at the Maid Café. I was a waitress. Every customer here is called 'Sir' or 'Master'. And right now, Hibari was a customer, whether I liked it or not. I tried to smile and clutched my tray tighter to my chest, as if it was a protective shield. "…Would you like anything with your coffee, sir? We also offer coffee- decorating services." I gestured to the bottle of syrup and chocolate sprinkles that were sitting in the centre of his table.

A few seconds passed, then finally, Hibari looked at me, his eyes narrowing. "…No."

I said, complete with a very sweet smile, "Very well, enjoy the rest of your coffee, sir." _AND I HOPE YOU BURN YOUR TONGUE ON IT!_

I swiftly sauntered away and attended to the other customers, but they seemed fine. I threw a quick glance to lonesome Hibari who continued to stare at his espresso cup apprehensively. I returned back to my station and tried to look busy, folding napkins and sorting through the cutlery, although realising that a pair of eyes were glued on me the entire time. I turned round to Hibari just a few feet away. I gawped back at him, unsure what was on his mind, and he stared back as he brought the cup to his lips for a brief sip; for some reason, my heart was beating, hard. I hurriedly turned back round again, now becoming conscious of the fact that my face also felt hot and flushed, too.

Argh. It was happening again… those… _feelings. _While I debated for the remainder of the night how I would overcome them, Hibari stayed for longer than I hoped.

I was surprised he managed to stay sane with nothing else to do except sit at his table. What a weird guy! I told Hanabi what had happened between me and the shady guy earlier on, and she assured me I wouldn't have to serve any perverts anymore. Hanabi went over on some occasions to see if Hibari needed anything, but came back with no success - he didn't order anything. Inevitably, Hibari left at quarter to eleven, being the last customer in the café, just as Hanabi locked the front door and closed the shutters of the shop window. We began to clean up when she noticed that Hibari was actually standing outside the shop.

"He's still here?"

"Yeah." Hanabi replied, peering out of the gap of the shutters of the window and turning back to me. "What's he doing? Waiting? For who?"

"OoooHHhhhHH!" I cooed, pressing my nose and palms against the window. "Maybe he's waiting for his girlfriend. Goodie, I can write some sort of story about this! Hibari Kyouya and his secret girlpal. Ewww, who'd want to be his girlfriend?"

She shrugged. "Heh, you'd be surprised by the number of girls who like the dark, brooding and violent type."

"Like you? You thought he was cute earlier on."

Hanabi pouted. "…Don't you think he's cute?"

"Heck no." I scowled with a fierce frown on my face, "Even a one-eyed puppy with three legs is cuter."

"Well, he's been standing there since we closed the shop. That was a long time ago..." Hanabi suddenly squealed. "I know! It's you, obviously!"

I leant off the window. "…Why would he be waiting for me? That guy hates me with a passion. Hmm….Come to think of it, why **is **he here anyway? He hates places like these. It's probably what he calls 'mingling'."

"Then it's obvious he's a hypocrite."

"…How did he even find out I was working here in the first place? Only dad knows, I - " Pause. "_DAAAAAAD!_"

"Calm down, sweetie."

"This place was holy! My sanctuary, and now he's tainted it and made it un-holy because he's found out and set his grubby foot here! WrrrAAAaaaRgggHHHH!"

"You can't always blame your dad; Hibari must have followed you. I mean, you're neighbours, so he must've seen you leaving your house."

"…Erkk…" I couldn't help but feel sick all over again. "I can't believe it…Well, you can have him, since you think he's oh-so-adorable. I just want Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy…even if he might be a complete psychopath."

"Er…Who?"

I filled in the details as quickly as possible. I swear, lovehearts were in my eyes. Hanabi giggled as soon as I had finished recounting my story. "Ohh, I see. That's kinda cute. But… the first thing I would've done is ask for a name, or even a number."

I sighed forlornly. "Yeah, I know…"

"Hey, you know… um, about Hibari - I get it now!"

"Get what?"

She sighed this time. "Geez, Rin, you really are clueless, aren't you? It's obvious."

"What is?"

"He likes you."

"EH?"

"He _**likes**_ you, you idiot!"

"…T-That's not funny…"

"Rin, I have to be quite frank: I know you like this… 'Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy'… but…from what I heard, I'm not really sure how it'll work out. But on the other hand…" Hanabi gestured to Hibari, who was standing outside our shop, "Hibari's right here in front of you, and from what I can see, maybe he does like you. Maybe he does care for you, even if you think he's so mean to you. I think he does care for you."

"..." I wasn't quite sure what to say. But suddenly, my face went red from chin up.

Therefore, as soon as I had finished cleaning up, it was quarter to twelve, midnight, and I quickly dressed in my normal clothes, stuffed the maid petticoat and stockings and apron into my bag, and waved goodbye to Hanabi who was going to shut down the shop for tonight, before storming out of the staff entrance, making a beeline to the front of the shop.

Hibari was leaning on the shutters, and he didn't bother to look at me as I came marching up to him. Instead, he remained focused on the night sky, listening to the quiet, empty street with the occasional car zooming past.

I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat. "I don't really know why you're here, but…" As I left my sentence trailing, Hibari turned to me uncaringly, as a slender eyebrow rose. When I realised he was waiting for me to speak, my doubts escalated – should I really say this? Nevertheless, it had been building up in the back of my mind for a long time and I figured it was now or never, so I took a deep breath.

"I know you've always lived by yourself since you can remember, so you've been training yourself according to discipline and rules, but did you also train yourself to be rude to other people and to hurt people's feelings? What you said to me was really mean and hurtful. What kind of person do you think I am? You really think I like wearing such revealing outfits and men leering at me?"

I wasn't going to wait to be beaten senseless, so I quickly added, "…You don't understand why I'm working while it's obviously affecting my education. Yes, my grades suck. Yes, I always get detention. Yes, I'm always late for class. Yes, I sleep in class, and yes, I always hand in homework late." I wasn't sure where this courage was coming from, but he'd remained surprisingly yet graciously silent, allowing me to continue.

"But I work here because I have no choice. If you haven't already noticed, it's just me and my dad. My dad's been raising me alone for years now but we're struggling. He works full-time, but he still needs to look after me. And then there's the mortgage on the house, gas and electricity bills, council tax, the TV license, the insurance for the van, road tax and other debts to be paid, so, if there's any way in which I can help out, I try.

"You think my life is really that easy and simple? Things are getting more and more expensive and costly and it's not getting any better; we're trying to save and earn as much as we can." I affirmed, as sternly as possible, "Even if it means I have to work and go to school at the same time. You can pity me or whatever, but frankly, I don't give a damn about what you think of me anymore."

There was a long silence, and Hibari and I were engaged in a bitter yet silent, staring match. Hibari let out a yawn and I cringed. "Are you done?"

"…H-Huh?"

"I said, 'are you done'?"

"What do you mean?" I stuttered out, "…Um…Talking, or working?" My blush increased tenfold.

"Both."

I nodded a little. "Y-Yeah, I'm done."

"Then we're going."

"'Going'? Going where?"

"Home."

"Home?" Again, my brain was slow to adapt to the current situation. I honestly wished I had said something else then – don't you hate it when that happens? When something happens to you, and you say something, but then wish you'd said something else? It happens to me all the time! And when Hibari reached for my wrist, my eyes widened thoroughly. Was…was this really happening? I immediately pulled back. "Go? With you? No way!"

Hibari growled at me, "You're coming with me whether you like it or not." Again, he reached towards my arm, and grabbed my wrist, before quickly dragging me down the street.

I tried to keep up, and threw a concerned glance over my shoulder to the Maid café, where I could see Hanabi behind the window, giggling and making funny faces at me. I swallowed down and turned back to Hibari. "Did my dad send for you?"

"No." He stopped at a half-empty parking lot just a few blocks down from the café, and took out a pair of keys from his pocket. When he pressed the button, I saw a bright orange flash emit from a motorcycle parked at an empty space. Still with me in tow, Hibari proceeded to lead towards the stationed motorbike.

"Y-You're kidding, right?" I gawped when he moved his leg up and over to sit on the seat. He inserted the key in and revved the motorbike using the handles. "You're underage to drive one! And you don't even have a helmet!"

He turned to me expectantly. "I have goggles." He replied, pulling out a pair of said goggles from the side.

"...I don't think it'll make much difference."

"Shut up and get on."

I wondered what Hibari's driving skills were like. I had a strange vision of Hibari speeding on the motorway at 90 miles per hour with me dangling by a thread, screaming and wailing the entire journey. It dawned to me I didn't intend to die early. A drop of cold sweat trickled down my forehead, and I shook my head. "Thank you very much for your offer, but I can get the train." I muttered out, "…Why are you doing this anyway? I asked you earlier and you said my dad didn't send for you – "

Wait a minute! Could it be that he was doing this…Because he feels bad that Mitsukuni and Otogi had got to me (and right under his nose, too) today?

Hibari shot me a tired look, then suddenly pressed down on the pedal and zoomed out of the parking lot, the hind wheel of the bike spraying me with dirt and gravel. I fell out of my position in shock as I watched him drive to a traffic light. Suddenly, I felt very alone. Within seconds, I had screamed out furiously, waving my arms around frantically. "W-WAIT! Where are you going? Wait for me! Hibari-san! No, don't leave me, I – how could you leave a girl like that all by herself in the middle of nowhere at midnight? HIBARIII!"

But Hibari had already driven away, a smirk gracing his features.

* * *

**Meanwhile…**

A sign on the shop door said 'Closed'.

Inside, a man busily attended to the counter, ready to pack away for the night. The shop was small; there was only space for two or three people on the shopfloor, the rest of the shop dominated by a large counter and space for equipment and storage. A photograph of himself with his daughter in some mountain range dressed in camping gear, was attached to the wall behind him. Beside it, a display of keys and a glossy variety of household locks gleamed proudly under a display of spotlights attached from the ceiling. He leisurely dusted down and did a quick sweep of the floor, before the door opened.

Kazama Taizo looked up.

There was a young man; he was dressed in a hooded top – only partially exposing sleek black bangs that was swept to the side of his face, his eyes hidden behind a pair of red-tinted sunglasses. A lit cigarette was wedged between his lips, dusty ashes withered away from the smouldering tip onto the floor. One of his hands was dug into the pockets of his straight-cut loose jeans where a heavy, silver chain swung, attached to his studded belt. Using his other hand, he balanced his cigarette with two fingers, taking a deep drag. "Evenin'."

Taizo gave him a curious look. "You again?"

The young man cocked his head to the side, then shook his head. "I'm here to give you a second chance." He said, removing his red-tinted sunglasses to reveal a pair of soft, cobalt orbs. He grinned as he looked around the tiny shop, his eyes landing on the vast display of padlocks and other security devices. "Your talent…it's such a shame to see it wasted on such trifling hobbies."

"I don't care." remarked the older man as he firmly stood his ground behind the counter, "Go now. I thought I already made myself clear; I don't want anything to do with them anymore."

The dark-haired stranger placed the cigarette up to his lips again, before puffing more smoke into the shop atmosphere. It was startling the smoke alarm hadn't sounded off yet. He said, "Okay, fine, then let me deliver a message. After that, I'll be on my way."

"What message?"

Without a moment to spare, the stranger whipped out a gun from the pocket of his sweater and –

_**BLAM!**_

The shop fell silent.

Taizo slowly rose up from the ground, peeping out from behind the counter, and gawked behind him, at the bullet hole in the photograph of his daughter's face, now a blank, empty space.

The young man blinked at Taizo, and replaced the gun into his pocket, "Heh, you're rather fast for your age." He smirked, glancing at the photograph. "That was your daughter in the picture, right? How old is she? Hmm… if something was to happen to her, that'll be a terrible shame…"

His statement touched a nerve, and Taizo roared out, "You leave my daughter out of this! It's just me you want!"

The stranger held his empty hands up as if in mock defeat. "…Whoa, no need to bite my head off. I'm just warning you, that's all." He turned back round on his heel and opened the door to leave. "See you later."


	9. My Dad, Part I

**Chapter 9**

_My Dad, Part I_

_Kotobuki Yura_

I woke up for school tired and exhausted.

"….Dad?"

No response. The house was devoid of dad's presence. He never came home last night. I speculated he may have gone out drinking with his friends (namely Takeshi's dad) and was now lying face-down in a gutter somewhere with a beer bottle in hand.

I came back home at 2am, having to sit and huddle by myself in a rickety train filled with drunks, junkies and homeless people for twenty minutes, before a ten-minute walk back home from Namimori station. I saw Hibari's motorbike parked outside and glared at it, resisting the urge to kick it over and blame it on neighbourhood hooligans. But alas, I was still too-good-a-person in the end and decided not to. It was against my morals.

In a zombie-state, I got ready for school, ate a piece of bread for breakfast,t hen trudged out of our house and onto the main road, shutting the gate behind me.

Hm? Someone was standing outside Hibari's house. I had never seen anyone stand outside his house for more than five minutes unless it was a nervous postman who was fumbling for a misplaced, mischievous letter that had wounded up somewhere in the bottom of his bag. Of course, the arrival of this strange, so-not-nervous person outside Hibari's house means it was INVESTIGATION TIME. And being my usual nosy self, I waddled over for a closer look.

It was a guy, maybe nineteen, twenty? He was dressed in a plain white t-shirt and loose jeans, a hand in one pocket. A pair of headphones hung around his neck, connected to the newest version of MP3-player hanging from his neck. His hair was a shade of delicate light blue, flicked and sprouting out in short, wispy flares, and his eyes were a soft yet strange tawny-ochre tint. A foreigner?

Sensing my presence, he turned round to me. I was hiding behind our gate but he'd seen me, and I froze up entirely on the spot, but then, he smiled. "Good morning."

It was a moment of Beauty and the Beast. Slowly, I crawled from the depths of my shadowy hiding place and I stared up at him for a long time, my eyes filled with wondrous awe. "….G-Good morning." I replied back nervously, and my face went a little warm, too. I had to admit, I was slightly bedazzled by his appearance…. "…..Um…"

"Is this the house belonging to that teenage delinquent boy, Hibari Kyouya?"

Still enthralled by his pearly white teeth and winning smile, I nodded dazedly in response. _I wonder what Hibari looks like when he smiles…_

He gazed back appreciatively at the prefect's stronghold walls and placed a hand on one of the bricks. He tilted his head to the side, contemplating for a brief moment. "I've heard stories about him. I wonder if they are true?" He mused to himself.

Remembering that some people came to Namimori just to pass said delinquent boy's habitat, I took note of his accent. He was definitely not from around here, that was for sure. "Oh, yes, most definitely." I said.

He turned away from Hibari's glorious home to me again, "You live next door to him?"

I cringed as I looked back at our tiny, two-storey house, just in time to see the satellite antenna pop off from its stand on the chimney and dangle off by the wire. I swallowed down, mentally reminding myself to tell dad to fix that later. "Y-Yes." came my sheepish reply.

"Oh, right, let me introduce myself first," He said, and he held out his hand; before I reached forward with my hand, I wiped at my palm, _then_ shook his hand – dare I say it, but did I feel a spark from our contact? I shivered all over. Gulp. The young man didn't seem to notice. He continued, "My name is Haku. I'm doing some research on this neighbourhood and the inhabitants, so you'll see me around from time to time."

Research? That would be the first time I'd heard someone conducting research on a small town like this.

"…And you are…?"

I perked up. "Huh? Oh, right, I'm-I'm…uh…R-Rin." I stammered out, before mentally reprimanding myself for being so uncool, "If you're doing research on Hibari-san, he goes to school roughly at this time, so it's – "

At that precise moment, the front gate opened and Hibari stepped out, before noticing us. Me and the young man named Haku, we exchanged looks at one another, as Hibari narrowed his eyes at both of us. Haku took this as his cue to leave. "Well then, please excuse me. It was nice meeting you, Rin-san." Without another word, he replaced his headphones back on and walked off, with his hands in his pockets, surrounded by thrashing rock music booming out from the headphones.

Before long, Hibari turned to me expectantly. "A friend of yours, herbivore?"

"He said he's doing research on Namimori."

The following response was rather amusing: "_Research_?" snarled the Prefect, in a cold, and snide manner. His eyes thoroughly narrowed. Uh-oh. Danger. Hibari continued, being the herbivorous-hating person as he was. "I do not recall giving permission to anyone to conduct any 'research'. I'll bite that herbivore to death." He grabbed his jacket tighter to himself and stormed off after the foreign stranger.

"Hey, wait, you can't just do that. Just leave him alone – "

"If you decide to interfere, I'll bite you to death."

I swallowed and stepped back. Ack! Now that Mitsukuni and Otogi were gone, my wimpy-ness required and I was back to being scared stiff by Hibari! Not good! Hibari grunted at me to get a move on and get to school or else so I nodded and hurriedly began to walk away.

Suddenly, I spotted something on the far, far pavement opposite the road - A light peach blanket, wrapped around something egg-shaped – and I looked at Hibari's retreating back. I decided not to follow him, and I hastily crossed the street, then stepped over to the strange blanket on the floor, clutching my bag tightly in my hand, and bent down, before peering at it inquisitively from every angle possible. I turned away and glanced around but no-one seemed to notice. Being the nice and good person I am, I bent over again and picked it up.

And there he was, dressed in a little black suit and top hat, accompanied with a little green chameleon-shaped plush toy. It was so cute. The baby, of course, not the toy, no, well… yeah, that was cute, too…It was the first thing I noticed because I hadn't really seen anything like it before… I picked it up and gave the toy a squeeze with my fingers. It made a funny sound and I couldn't help but buckle over in raucous laughter and wipe a tear from my eye. Hah… I amuse myself so easily…

Ahem.

"Ciaossu."

Immediately, I gazed around the empty neighbourhood block once again. "Excuse me! Did someone drop a baby on the street?" I hollered.

No-one replied, partially because the street was empty. Hibari was too far down to have heard me.

I shrugged and turned back to the baby. "…Aren't you adorable?" I cooed, making goo-goo eyes at him while pulling other ridiculous funny faces and making odd, clucking noises with my tongue that I think I would've died on the spot if Hibari ever caught me doing such a thing. "….Where are your mommy and daddy, hmm? Did they drop you out of the pram? Hm… You know, I have a brother…but, it's weird, when you have family, and they don't live with you… or don't want to live with you."

The baby blinked back at me with his large, beady black eyes.

"Maybe you're alone… If you want, I'll look after you. Would you like that…?"

"Herbivore, who are you talking to?"

I squeaked and turned round, to see Hibari. "Oh, I thought you left already." I looked around and behind him, then back, "...Did you find him?"

Hibari seemed thoroughly disgruntled. "The herbivore got away. Did he tell you his name?"

Hmm, lemme think, was I really one to grass up on people? "….No." I said, hiding my smirk. I supposed I would get even with him for what happened at the baseball game. "He didn't tell me anything about himself."

Hibari frowned acutely, and decided not to pursue this matter for now. "What do you think you're doing? You're going to be late for school." He said, apparently unaware of the wriggling, kicking blanket in my arms. "Get a move on."

"But, Hibari-san, look…. _A baby_." I giggled, showing him the baby proudly.

At that point, Hibari stiffened somewhat and raised a tense eyebrow at the baby in my embrace. Then, he slowly slid his gaze up at me. "…Is it yours?"

I stopped giggling at once. "WHAT? No!" I replied, before snuggling the baby close to me protectively.

"Hn. Yes. Who'd ever want to have a child with you?"

Hibari had indisputably touched a nerve. "Oh yeah? Well, who'd want to have children with YOU? Not me, that's for sure!" I barked back. _Who'd want his children? They'll be fugly as heck. _Wait, that's kinda cruel… "Aaaaand, for YOUR information, I happened to find him on the street. Some heartless people dumped him here. Accident or not, this is unacceptable!"

"You found a baby. On the street."

"Yep. I don't know what to do. What do you think?"

Hibari said, clearly unamused with the situation at hand, "You and your maternal instincts should know how to deal with it."

"Whaaaa – ?" I gasped out, and he manoeuvred past me but I stepped in front of him. "Hold it right there, Hibari-san! How can you be so cruel? Look into his eyes and see the pain and loneliness he's gone through. He deserves your help!" And I lifted the baby up to face him. "Look! _Look at him_!"

But Hibari was dissuaded.

I thought he might hit the baby so I quickly pulled back just in case. Before I could say something, I saw a familiar van making its way towards us. Said familiar van pulled up beside us on the sidewalk in a matter of seconds and the window rolled down, revealing dad's drained and weary face. "Rin! I, er… I need to tell you something."

"DAD! There you are! Where the heck have you been?"

Dad, still in his work clothes behind the steering wheel, gaped back at me. "U-Uh…Never mind, erm… what's that in your arms?"

"I found this on my way and didn't know what to do with it." I lifted the bundle in my arms up to dad and unwrapped the blanket, revealing the baby.

"Ciaossu."

There was a slight silence. Dad stared, hard.

I cleared my throat, "Yeah, I know, he can speak. I thought that was a bit strange, too… But he was all alone and no-one seemed to even notice him! And look, he came with a little black hat and this cute green stuffed lizard too, look, squeezy squeezy squeezy!" I giggled again, grabbing the plush beanie lizard and compressing it with my fingers as if it was cookie dough, "…Hahaha… That's so cute...It never gets boring…I can have hours of fun with this… Um, what do we do, dad?"

There was a long silence. Dad scratched at his imaginary beard. "Give him back, obviously."

I frowned and clutched the baby tighter as dad hurried out of the van and stopped in front of me. "I didn't steal him! I told you: I FOUND him."

"…On the streets?"

"Yeah. That's what I just said."

Meanwhile, Hibari, who was still here (I almost forgot about him, too), said, "Taizo. You deal with this." He hauled the blanket out of my arms and thrust it into dad's arms. Before I could protest once again, Hibari grabbed my ear and he began to drag me down the path. "We're going to school _**now**_."

"Oww…"

Dad, still blinking numbly with a baby in his arms, perked up and opened the van door, and stepped out onto the pavement. "Wait, Hibari-san!" Dad yelled, but Hibari and I were already at the next neighbourhood block…

…

Watching his daughter struggle under the grips of Hibari, he sighed.

_At least Hibari-san is with her_, he thought. _She should be safe…_

Once the two teenagers were out of view, Kazama Taizo returned to the van with the baby, then he carefully placed the blanket with the baby on the cushiony seat. He watched the baby get up and out of the sheets and dust his suit down, then adjust his fedora. They exchanged gazes for a long while, until eventually; Taizo broke eye contact and sighed wryly.

"…Long time no see, Reborn."

The baby smiled at him. "Nice to see you too… _Innocenti_."

**Meanwhile…in Namimori Junior High**

"Please tell me the answer to question 4!"

There was a sigh, and she crossed her arms and looked away, "I can't believe you forgot to do your homework again."

I grimaced as I pulled back my jotter, my shoulders slumping helplessly. I had forgotten all about my homework again. Hibari coming over to my house had preoccupied my thoughts and time and although Nakamura gave us this homework a week ago, I had a bad habit of leaving my work to the last minute.

"…I…I'm really busy these days, so…"

"Kazama-san, you should really know that your studies are priority. What's going to happen to you in the future? How are you going to get into a good university if this keeps happening? They'll look at your references and your records back in high school and see all your latecomings and your work rates and – "

"I know that already, sheesh…" I mumbled out despondently, "Fine, don't help me then… just stop trying to send me off on a guilt trip…"

The girl I had asked for answers was the brainbox in the class, and she happened to sit on my right, so it was only normal I'd asked her if I could copy some homework, which was due to be collected in ten minutes… I quickly returned to my desk and pulled out my book, then looked at the first question. I had twenty to do…. How on earth could I pull this off?

I threw my eyes down to the page. Would I need my scientific calculator for this? I quickly pulled it out of my bag and kept it beside me just in case. Okay…Question one… _X – 2 is a factor of:_

_a) x(3) – 2x(2) – 4x – 8  
__b) 3x(5) – 10x(3) – 5x(2) + 4  
__c) 4x(3) + 2x(2) – 16  
__d) 2x(4) – 4x(2)  
__e) 5x(3) – 7x(2) – 12x + 4_

Erm…

I hurriedly worked out the sum as fast as I could, but suddenly the door slid open and I whipped my head up.

"Class, take your seats; we have a transfer student today!"

…_Huh?_

Oh, yes, the transfer student Hibari mentioned before. Maybe that was why Nakamura was early today. I looked up in time just as sensei bustled into the class, and immediately, everyone (except Hibari) looked back to the front excitedly. "Er-hem! I'm sure everyone's heard the news. Our transfer student is here!"

"Let's not waste any more time. Please, come in!"

A girl arrived at the open doorway, with her jacket tied around her waist and a messenger bag hanging off one shoulder. She had short black hair with dark purple streaks and startling blue eyes that scoured each and every one of us as she walked into the classroom. Soon, she stopped in front of the blackboard just beside Nakamura's desk. There was an awkward atmosphere in the classroom. Almost every male (except Hibari, again) leaned forwards in their seats to have a better look. Her round, doe-like eyes were heavily traced round with eyeliner, and her lips were a dark, poison-purple statement. Her heart-shaped face was contoured with white cosmetic and a light pink blush across her rather hollow, sunken cheeks. Despite that… something about her features felt very….new. She wasn't like most of the girls in my class, that was for sure.

"This is Kotobuki Yura." Nakamura said, followed by a more catcalls from the males of the class (except Hibari, once again). Nakamura continued regardless of the class' response. "She has come to Namimori with her father. It is customary for a student from this class to make sure transfers get comfortable, so I will pick…."

It was instantaneous; almost every student's hand flew up in the air and there was a loud hubbub. Everyone was fighting to be her Show-the-Ropes buddy (except from me). I paused in my work to look up; my eyes couldn't help but wander over to Hibari to see if he had volunteered. He hadn't. Inwardly, I breathed a sigh of relief, then –_ What the heck's going on with me today? _

"Kazama Rin."

Upon hearing my name, I looked up. "H-Huh?"

Nakamura squinted her old, beady eyes at me. "….What are you doing? I see you have your scientific calculator out… Is that today's math homework you're doing?" She asked, and I cringed, yet remained silent as I felt all eyes on me. It seemed Nakamura knew anyway. She dismissed the fact with a flick of her wrist and shook her head.

"Am…Am I in trouble?"

"No, you're not in trouble. Now sit back down." She said, as I blushed again as everyone around me snickered. "I was just going to say that you will be in charge of looking after Kotobuki-san for the next few weeks. Make sure she settles in well."

"….M-Me? Um…Okay."

There was a series of groans following as every male student glared at me.

…

Meanwhile, a young man with light, dusty navy hair, and unusual, tawny brown eyes, dressed in a pale-white t-shirt and jeans, wandered off the main street of Namimori and into the suburbs on his lonesome. He took his hand out of his pocket of his denims and took off his headphones, his other hand holding a light seafoam-coloured ice lolly, and looked up at the sky. He shielded his eyes from the intense sun rays with his hand. "Not a cloud in the sky today." He murmured to himself, as he wandered further into a passageway between two derelict buildings.

"Yo, Haku."

A male voice.

"Hm?" Haku turned round to his right, to see a guy with tousled black hair, his eyes hidden by red-tinted sunglasses, leaning against the wall with a hand tucked into the pockets of an oversized hoodie, the other holding a lit cigarette. "Oh, it's you, Rai."

The young man named 'Rai' lifted the cigarette to his lips and took a casual drag, then lowered his sunglasses and peered at Haku with his cerulean blue eyes, "Did you meet the daughter? Is she super-cute in person?"

In response, Haku let out a sigh and rubbed at his temples. "…Why don't you meet her yourself and find out?"

"Heh. Maybe I will." Rai said, shrugging leisurely with a warm smile plastered over his face, "So…what do you think?"

"What do I think?" Haku repeated his question, pondering as he looked back up at the small exposed section of the sky between the walls of the dark and dank alleyway. Then, he turned back to Rai, smiling, "….I think our mission is going to be a lot easier than I expected."

...

As soon as the bell rang for lunch, everyone flocked to Kotobuki Yura's table. I watched in awe. When it was my first day, I wasn't that popular… Five minutes later, two hands pushed through the throng of students and Kotobuki Yura popped out, then glanced over at me. I tensed up all over and shrunk in my seat. She walked over to me.

"Kazama, right? You're my Rope-Buddy. So let's do something."

I couldn't exactly believe it. "U-Uh…You can call me 'Rin'. 'Rin' is fine." I said. "Oh, why don't you sit down first?"

She looked at the empty seat at the desk beside mine, which I was pointing to and nodded, "Sure." Yura replied, and she plopped herself down, crossed her arms and her legs as she sat. "Yeah, so, I moved here two weeks ago with my father. He got a new job at Namimori General hospital, you see."

"Hospital? Your father's a…"

"Well, I'm not sure what the title is called, but he knows a lot of stuff about echoencephalography."

I scratched at my head in bewilderment. "Ecko…huh? Sorry, I won't even attempt to pronounce that…"

"That's okay. So, what does your father do?"

"He's a locksmith." I remarked proudly, "You know, he fixes locks and makes keys and…stuff."

"That's interesting. I've always wondered how keys are made. There are so many places in this world that needs locks so you really wonder how many keys there are in this world that are made to lock and unlock those locks. I mean, what if a key opened up more than one lock? Then it might start an apocalypse of house burglars."

"Yeah, I'm not sure if that happens but he turned the garage into his workshop and he has this machine that shapes pieces of metal into keys. I'm not allowed to touch it because I'm so clumsy; I might just end up chopping off my finger or something."

She laughed, and I couldn't help but blush. Perhaps I had ranted and raved too much?

"But, anyway, you have nothing to fear. Kotobuki-san, I'll look after you." I said, sounding more confident. "We can go to the cafeteria right now if you'd like. I actually brought a homemade bento but the cafeteria chow is really good."

"No thanks, I have homemade lunch with me too." Yura explained, "We could just eat it here together. I'm quite comfortable in the classroom, minus the rabid fans."

"That sounds good. My father makes the best sekihan."

"Your father makes your lunches?"

I couldn't help but beam at her sheepishly, "Yeah…I know, I'm 16 now and I feel so unaccomplished… anyways, I'm a hopeless cook. I burn everything I touch." I confessed drearily with a sigh and a shrug.

"Yeah, me too. My dad's forbidden me to go near a frying pan."

We both sighed, then laughed, and I asked, feeling slightly more enthusiastic now that we seemed to be conversing well, "So…it's just you and your father?"

"Yep. My mother passed away when I really young, and I don't have any siblings, so it's always been me and my dad."

My eyes began to sparkle a little under the afternoon sunlight that was shining into the classroom. "R-Really? M-Me too…I mean… Well, I've got a brother, but it's just me and my father."

"Your parents split up?"

"Y-Yeah, but it's okay. Me and my dad get along great. I think I'm an extreme daddy's girl. My dad's got quite a - "

"Feminine side?"

"Yes." I gasped out in amazement that she could finish my sentence. Yura and I looked at each other again, before bursting into peals of laughter. "Hey, maybe we should walk home together after school, since you're still unfamiliar with the neighbourhood." I suggested, with a shrug.

"Sure, I'd like that."

But then -

"_Kotobuki-san_?"

We both looked up to see a group of girls in our class standing by our seats. The girl at the front of the group – she was one of the popular girls in the class who all the boys seemed to drool over – her name was Mayuki, and she flicked her glossy chestnut brown hair back with her hand before crossing her arms and shifted her weight onto one foot, her hips jutting forward. She ignored my shocked look and focused on Yura. "Kotobuki-san, we thought you'd might like a quick tour of the school, and afterwards, you can have lunch with us at the cafeteria."

"Hey - " I immediately intervened with a frown, standing up in my seat in process, "Nakamura-sensei said I was her tour guide, not you guys."

Mayuki glanced at me from the corner of her eyes, "Butt out, Kazama Rin. Kotobuki-san should hang out with us, not with someone like you."

I shrunk under her as she loomed over me. "W-What do you mean 'someone like me'?"

She looked at her fingernails for a brief second before flicking her eyes back to me again, "…Well, for starters, people like you aren't really the…best of examples."

"…Huh?"

She sighed. "Fine. I'll explain it to you as simple as I can. So… You don't take school seriously, you're always late for class, you always get detention, you cause disturbances and you're always asking to copy other people's homework that it's really getting on our nerves. It's no wonder you don't have any friends. People like you really tick us off."

I bit down on my lip and closed my eyes, "…I-I do have a friend… He's…"

"Oh, yeah? Then what's his name?"

I twiddled my thumbs together. Then woefully cast a hopeful glance over to Hibari, who was still in his seat.… Could he be a…._friend_…? No, no, no! Hibari wasn't a friend at all! But wait! I still have Takeshi! I said, "Uh…Takeshi Yamamoto."

"Who?"

_-whisper whisper-_

"Oh, that first year who plays baseball real good, right?" Mayuki sniggered, then – "EWWW. Kazama Rin likes LITTLE BOYS!"

"Whaaaat?" I exclaimed, horrified. "No! His dad is friends with my dad, so we just spoke and – "

"Kazama Rin likes little boys!" Mayuki sneered out loud, and I wanted to die on the spot. Mayuki flicked at her glam-model hair again. "Oh, and by the way, I think it's only fair that Kotobuki-san actually makes a decent friend who won't end up freeloading off her while she studies here."

"F-Freeloading?" I barked out furiously, "I'm not a freeloader!"

"Oh, please." Mayuki muttered, with another roll of her violet eyes as the rest of her horrid pals giggled and sniggered, and then she turned to Yura and smiled, "Come on, Kotobuki-san, you don't want to hang around with losers like Kazama. She's just a cheapskate who'll just drag you down to her low-life level. I mean, her father's a locksmith. How much money can you make with that kind of work nowadays?" Mayuki quickly grabbed Yura's arm and began to lead her out of the classroom before I could protest. "We'll show you around the school too." Mayuki then turned round to me, "Oh, and don't even think of following us, Kazama Rin, you'll just cramp our style."

I cringed and looked at the floor, wishing to hide away in a ditch somewhere to escape the humiliation. _Run away! I'm such a loser!_ Yura threw a glimpse over her shoulder at me. "Wait – "

But they scooted her out of the class and slid the door back shut in my face. The students who were still in the classroom quickly turned away from me and I felt my cheeks burn red. Mayuki had said everything loud enough for everyone to hear.

_Is…Is that what people think of me?_

….

The bell rang for home and I hadn't heard a word from Yura. She returned at the end of the bell with Mayuki and her girl group and when I looked at her, she wasn't looking at me, and instead, made a beeline to her desk before sitting down and taking out her book. I had sighed and knew that I had lost some way in the other. Mayuki must have convinced her how much of a loser I was that she didn't want to hang with me anymore. I silently packed up my belongings and trotted towards the exit.

"Say, Yura-chan, why don't you walk home with us?" It was Mayuki. I could hear her voice loud and clear and I clenched my eyes shut.

There was a slight silence. Then -

"…No thanks."

I stopped in my tracks, my hand just arriving at the doorknob. I wasn't sure why I had stopped, and why I had waited with baited breath. Maybe because a fraction of me was still hopeful that Yura still regarded me as some kind of friend – although I had just met her today and we barely spoke for ten minutes – I was hopeful… so hopeful…

Mayuki sounded slightly stunned. "O-Oh, really?"

"…Yeah." I heard Yura reply, "I made a promise to someone I met today."

Then, I heard footsteps approaching me and I slowly turned round, to face Yura, with her guitar strapped behind her back. She smiled at me a little awkwardly, as I blinked at her broadly in surprise. _Yura? _

"….Are you ready to go, Rin?" She asked, ignoring the astounded Mayuki and the rest of her friends who were gaping at us staggeringly with equally shocked looks.

And that was when a wide smile broke over my features, and I nodded. "Yeah, let's go home."

**Afterwards…**

Before we left school, I went with Yura to pick up something from the music room – it turned out she played the guitar – and then we walked home together. We talked about a lot of things; our favourite colour, cheese, ducks, lamas, everything. It felt nice to have a friend who was a girl for a change.

I stopped in my path, realising that Yura had suddenly cut short in her sentence, and turned round.

"…Yura?"

Just then, something sharp stabbed into my shoulder and I yelped out, stumbling forwards. My hand flew up to my injury and I fumbled round in horror – it turned out to be some needle of some sorts but with a rounded head… almost like the tuning pick of a guitar, but with a needle end. I whipped my head round to Yura in shock.

But then a hand came reaching for my throat and I was then roughly shoved against a tree, my legs dangling limply in the air. "Y-Yura?" I choked out, my fingers struggling to pry away her fingers which were tightening around my windpipe, effectively crushing the air out of me. She smirked at me wickedly, her fingers applying more pressure against my neck. "W-What are you doing?"

She lowered her face, shadows covering her eyes. "….What's wrong? Why do you look so surprised?"

"….What are you doing?"

"I see. So you don't know. Well then… Allow me to properly introduce myself… I am a member of the rockband, _Fascination with Assassination_, and I have come to kill you, Kazama Rin."

My eyes popped out of their sockets. HUH? Nothing registered in my mind. Kotobuki Yura…. Member…. Fascination with Assassination…. Rockband… Kill me…. EH? I spluttered out. "…Why do you want to kill me?" My mind was screaming. What an incredibly absurd question to ask. But really, I wanted to know.

"You can ask your daddy all about that." She snarled, before she let go of me, throwing me to the side, and swiftly unravelled out the rest of her guitar from the case. Meanwhile, I struggled to get up, still recovering from shock as Yura stood, holding her guitar. What the heck was going on? Yura roared with laughter as she gripped her guitar tightly in her arms. "You really believed I would be your friend? That you and I actually had something in common! How stupid could you get?"

I shook my head frantically, not wanting to believe anything. _…What's going on?_

This was a dream. Yes, I thought. A dream. a crazy, crazy dream. I squeezed my eyes shut and squeaked out, "…So… everything you told me about yourself was a lie?"

"Of course. You're so weak and wimpy, you make me sick - Killing you is an absolute insult!" Without waiting for my response, Yura screamed out, "_Retro Wave_!"

I'm not sure what happened next – but she strummed her guitar ferociously with her spindly-needle fingers, and suddenly, an invisible force slammed into me, sending me flying through the air. I landed on my back with a loud 'thud', and I winced, groaning, as Yura loomed over me, grinning from ear to ear. I stared back up in horror, my mind still reeling with disbelief.

"Say your prayers, Kazama Rin," She murmured darkly, positioning her guitar towards me once again, "'Cuz I'll be sending daddy's angel back to heaven."

* * *

Haha bet you weren't expecting any of that at all xDD

Anyhoo, here's some stuff I want you to read:

1. Rin's dad is Innocenti, so he actually isn't an OC. Before you go 'wtf', this is only Part I.

Innocenti is the inventor who was mentioned to have made ringboxes along with Verde and Koenig and ended up ganked in the TYL!Arc. I'm waiting for Amano Akira to discredit this story by saying that, well, I dunno, like, maybe Innocenti was a woman and 100 per cent Italian.

2. There were 'points' in this chapter – firstly, you have seen the story only through Rin's perspective, so she's always been oblivious to her bad habits and traits. Another 'point' was: What happens when a normal person meets a hitman who wants to kill them out of the blue? This was the thought that got Cosmo G up and running.


	10. My Dad, Part II

Whoo hooo! This story has reached Chapter 10! I'm really happy! Thanks for the lovely reviews :))

**WARNING: **The following chapters will contain graphical violence and really bad humour!

**Chapter 10**

_My Dad, Part II_

_The Prosecution of Innocenti_

The only thing I could think at that precise moment was: Why was this happening? And to me, nonetheless. What did I ever do to deserve this? Was I just born under an unlucky star? While I'm sure many of you have contemplated that thought at some point in your lives when something bad happens, I was thrown back to my own current unfortunate circumstance when my head collided with the hard, concrete ground.

It was official:

I was unfit.  
I was clumsy.  
I was uncoordinated.  
I was downright awkward.

While I wished I hadn't eaten so many donuts and drunk so much soda in my lifetime as they were seriously hindering me now, I tried to get up but stumbled over my own two feet and fell back over and onto the ground for the umpteenth time. Even babies who could not even crawl yet fared better than I was at the moment. I cut my palms, scraped my elbows, scrapped my knees, and ripped off a slight chunk off my cheek.

A part of me wanted to cradle my boo-boos and start bawling.

… it was tempting, but no.

I hadn't expected this much pain. How on earth was I meant to defend myself from this? I had nothing on me to protect myself! Hell, I couldn't even fight to save myself. I bit my lip, curling my fist. I had never hit someone before. It didn't feel like me to do something like this. But this was a life-or-death scenario and I had to –

"Tempest Wave!"

This time, Yura strummed a different note – the noise emitting from her guitar was higher, and much powerful – and whatever it was… a soundwave, I think… It hit me full on and I went rolling back to the ground. I couldn't get back up afterwards. I hurt all over; I couldn't move, and I lay, defeated. It felt like I was a player in some screwed up video game: I could imagine it….

Kotobuki Yura

HP: 1390  
MP: 745

Power Gauge: MAX!

Kazama Rin

HP: 0  
MP: 0

Power Gauge: 0

**K.O.! **

**Perfect!**

_Win Quote:_

"That's it?" A voice sneered and I opened one eye to see Yura; she lowered her guitar in her grasp.

…**Continue?**

She checked her wristwatch.

**5…**

Only two minutes had passed yet it felt as though the tremendous duration of my ass-kicking had been an eternity.

**4…**

She stepped over, planting her boot on my stomach and pressed down on. I groaned out in pain. "…This is seriously the best you can do?"

**3…**

Noticing my still-curled fist, she moved her foot from my stomach to my clenched hand.

**2…**

I yelped when I felt the pressure of her boot over my trembling fingers, wanting to flinch and scream loud, but when I saw the smirk on her face, I knew she revelled in moments like these.

**1…**

I gritted my teeth and squeezed my eyes shut, refusing to cry and thrash. She pressed down harder on my hand, and pain throbbed angrily throughout my entire system. "It's a shame, really, since you don't seem to know anything."

"I-I have no idea what you're talking about!"

She sighed. Then, she shrugged half-heartedly. "Oh, well, can't be helped. I guess I'll finish you off nice and cleanly." Positioning her guitar directly in front of me, I stared at death with widened eyes.

This is it.

_This is really it._

But then –

Yura's chest exploded.

Really.

A burst of red, red blood shot out and splattered all over my face without warning. However, my eyes had unconsciously squeezed shut just in time and an estranged gasp of horror tore out from the back of my throat as I felt the blood slowly drip off me. I re-opened my eyes and slowly looked up, shaking. A thin, sharp point…some kind of spike, a long and thin, funnel-shaped spike, was sticking out of her side and I slammed a hand over my palm to contain my horror. Yura looked equally as confused as I did. Unsteadily, she looked down at the spike that had impaled her from behind, the guitar clattering out of her hands and onto the ground.

"…W...What…?" She croaked out as the spike slowly withdrew from her.

Black Suit Purple Shirt-san stepped in front of me with his weapons raised up offensively. With a clenched hand clutching over the hole in her side, Yura stepped back as Black Suit Purple Shirt came at her again, but –

**CLANG!**

The sound of steel metal clashing resonated through the woodland. I forced myself to watch the scene – and my jaw dropped when I saw a familiar figure standing directly in front of Yura. A katana had blocked Black Suit Purple Shirt-san's attack.

_What the - ? It-It's that guy from this morning!_

"H-Haku?" Yura stammered out in shock, as the blue-haired male who had saved her from another impaling session gazed at her from the corner of his eye.

"…Reckless as always," Haku muttered, still holding off Black Suit Purple Shirt-san's attack with a long katana hilt; it was then I noticed that he had three additional black sheaths with katanas strapped to his back, a little smaller to the one he was using at the moment. He astutely swerved his attention back to Black Suit Purple Shirt, and smiled, "You picked a fight with the wrong person, Yura."

Black Suit Purple Shirt-san smirked, before releasing his weapon and swiftly returning back to my side. He helped me back up off the ground and manoeuvred me to stand behind him. "Stay close to me." He instructed, and I could only nod numbly in response, my hand clutching a section of his coat tightly.

Haku returned beside Yura, still smiling. "Hello, Rin." He said as he returned his katana back into a strap on his back beside the other three katanas, "Who's your friend? He's very strong."

I looked up at Black Suit Purple Shirt-san who threw a well-aimed glare at Haku and Yura.

"Never mind; I have to admit I'm a little disappointed…"

"….D-Disappointed?" I squeaked, eyeing his katana warily, "….What do you mean? Why are you - ?"

Haku offered me a pleasant smile although there was nothing pleasant about this situation at all. "Ah, I forgot to tell you: Aside from doing research on Namimori, I'm also the leader of a band. This is our Bass Player, Yura."

"Y-Yeah, I'm…I'm kinda aware of that." I muttered, as Yura glowered bitterly at me, "What's going on?" I made a step forward but Black Suit Purple Shirt-san stopped me.

Haku continued, "Your father will fill you in with the details. Unfortunately, I don't feel like fighting you now; you can't even defeat Yura yet. And she's the weakest out of all of us."

Yura's face went a fiery red shade at that point, "Hey – that's not true!" She fumed at him, but quietened down when her wound stabbed her with pain all over again, and she hissed out, collapsing onto her knees.

"Let's be on our way, shall we?" He said, sheathing his sword into a holster that was secured around his back with a white sash; he grabbed Yura's arm and they vanished through the woodland in the blink of an eye. It was too fast for my eyes to see.

To my astonishment, Black Suit had done nothing except stand and watch. I turned to him expectantly, waiting for an explanation on WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED. Instead, he silently watched the spot they had occupied previously, then turned to me. I remained silent. Then suddenly, my knees gave way and I was about to collapse onto the floor if Black Suit Purple Shirt hadn't caught me. His arm secured tightly around my back, and I blinked numbly, unable to utter a word.

"…You're in shock." He murmured, before he averted his attention to my bleeding shoulder. "…It's alright. You're safe now. I'm here."

I was shaking all over, but then I glanced meekly up at him, "….W…Why did you let them go?" I finally managed to stammer out.

"They are not my enemy."

As much as I thought Black Suit was probably this bloodthirsty monster who just couldn't get enough of beating people to a ruddy pulp, I guessed I had assumed wrong about his character. "But you could've fought them off, right?"

He nodded.

I slowly peeled myself out of his grasp to stand back up. "…I don't get it. She was going to KILL me." I said, as Black Suit Purple Shirt stood beside me. "I thought you were meant to protect me. You said it last time – my survival is vital."

"No." He replied, adjusting his tie for a brief moment or so, "…You're wrong."

"…H-Huh…?"

"You are grievously mistaken; you cannot afford to be over dependent on me." He said, as he turned to me, "…I recommend you learn to stand on your own two feet for a change."

"…. are you're telling me to fight my own battles?"

"Yes."

I bit my lip. "…I…I don't mean to get myself in stuff like this. It's not my fault…"

"Did I say whose fault it was?"

At that point, I sniffled a little. I had been stabbed in the shoulder, I was hurting all over… I didn't need to be hurt physically AND mentally.….Black Suit Purple Shirt-san, why are you suddenly being so horrible to me?

"Let's go."

He lifted me up bridal style and began to carry me out of the woods before I could protest. I stared up at him awkwardly, completely unused to being held this way. The spike that had impaled Yura, I realised, belonged to a floating ball of other spikes hovering just beside his head. It finally dawned to me, and I panicked, "Oh my god – y-you just – and she – that spike – so much blood…eurgh, it's all over me. C-Can't get it off… so gross… ewww… Get it off me…!" I wailed, still stained with Yura's blood plastered all over me and my clothes.

"Stop screaming. You'll attract unnecessary attention."

I supposed my moment of trauma was over. "You!" I snapped, "Why _**are **_you here? You save me and then you tell me to fight my own battles?" I yelled, and I pulled at his tie and collar and his sleeve and his jacket corner and his hair... Maybe that wasn't the right thing to do. He could use his spike-balls and impale me, too.

"I was late." He said, and he stopped. We had finally left the woods and back onto the main road of Namimori, and he settled me down on my feet.

I wobbled unsteadily, stricken with a mix of disbelief and incredulity.

He added, "I am aware that she could have almost killed you." Pause. "Let go of my tie now."

My bundled fist around his tie tightened as I continued to reassess what had just happened in my mind. "LATE? But why are you – what's going on? So you knew this would happen to me?" I screeched furiously, my face going ten different shades of red. I was furious, oh yes.

There was a short pause, then he uttered out, "You didn't listen to me." A dark shadow suddenly cast over his eyes, "I told you **not** to go to school."

_And that's why he's angry at me?_

"…Well, what was I supposed to do? Look, pal, you honestly expected me to believe you? Listen here, you – you… you man… person…guy…th-thing, _you - _!" I affirmed, trying to sound as stern as possible even though it only elicited a smirk of amusement to grace his features, "I know nothing about you – and why you're even here in the first place, so you better start spilling the beans or else I will scream and call the police and - "

I supposed he didn't care what I was going to do, as he turned away from me then with half-lidded eyes. "You have to leave, now." He muttered, "You cannot stay in Namimori."

"…Why? Because of Yura? Who is she? And…Haku. I just met that guy this morning – he-he said he was doing research! And why was I attacked? What did I ever do to them?"

He hesitated slightly. "You must pack your belongings and move. That is your safest option."

"Are you kidding? I'm going to call the police!"

"No."

"Huh? What do you mean '_No_'?"

"The Police will offer you little protection against them." He said, then - "…..Trust me."

Trust? I wasn't sure anymore. I squinted my eye and peered at him suspiciously, then said, "But….what about Hibari-san?"

"…What do you mean?"

I cringed slightly, "….I-I've been his neighbour for years. If I suddenly get up and leave, then…" I swallowed down. "….I can't do that. Besides, I, uh…kinda…Um. Never mind. I just can't leave Namimori, that's all there is to it."

"He'll understand."

"…And what makes you say that?"

"Trust me."

"Who are you really?"

"You haven't figured it out yet?" He murmured, his eyes staring right into me, "I honestly thought you would've realised by now."

I glanced to the side, then back. "I don't!"

He pondered for a few seconds, then smirked fluidly, "Then I won't tell you." He replied – and I guessed that was his final decision: not to tell me anything AGAIN.

It dawned to me how much I hated secrets… or, how much I hated secretive people. I clenched my fist and barked out, "Fine, don't tell me. But don't blame me if I don't believe or trust you."

"Even though I saved your life? …This is the third time, correct?"

"I don't know! I don't keep count - And I don't recall asking you to save me, either!"

"You'd rather I let you fall and break your neck, and let you get your face cut off, and let that homicidal girl kill you?"

His words stung. I threw my glance down, feeling extremely foolish and ashamed of myself. I knew he was right. "…." I bit down on my lip, pouting fiercely, "….No. I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell. I'm sorry, I was just really angry and confused and I just go crazy… I DO appreciate everything you've done for me. I–I just… I'm so confused. I feel like crying, but I won't, because…um, well, I just won't." Ack! Why did I say that? What a buffoon I clearly was when in the presence of a really hot guy.

Black Suit Purple Shirt remained silent.

"…Why won't you tell me who you are?"

I didn't get a response, but a hand suddenly landed on top of my head. I gawked up at Black Suit Purple Shirt-san dumbly, my face flushing all over again. He smiled at me briefly – not smirk – _smile_. I wasn't sure if it was a smile; actually, it just looked different than his usual expressions… I swallowed down and shrunk away from him, thoroughly embarrassed.

"How is your shoulder?"

I glanced over to my bleeding wound. "…It's nothing serious." I moaned out loud, as I sighed and rotated my wounded arm to ensure it was still functioning properly.

"Here." Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy tore a strip off the end of his lovely mauve shirt and pulled me towards him, then forced me to turn away with my back to him.

"I'm okay, really," I said, as he lifted my bleeding arm and then began to wrap the thin strip around my wound, before tying it into a neat knot to stop the blood. When he was done, I turned back round, inspected the new homemade bandage. "…Thanks…I don't get anything at all. What do I do?"

"…Talk to your father." He replied, "He'll tell you everything."

I hesitated for a brief moment. "Okay." I said, after the long pause, "…I trust you." In response, he did that 'smile' again at my response, and I returned an awkward smile back. I supposed what we had was mutual, perhaps even reciprocal at some point.

All of a sudden, he collapsed; his legs gave way and he stumbled forwards, his eyes fluttering closed. My reaction was automatic – my arms shot out - and I caught him just before he completely tumbled to the ground. But his weight stifled me and I dropped to the ground onto my knees. A memory flashed through my mind just as he fell into my arms.

"…Hibari?"

He looked up at me; unexpectedly, his hand on my arm gripped tightly and I winced slightly. "….What did you just call me?"

I was at a loss of words …Why did I say that? Why was I thinking about Hibari now? Oh, yes, the last time something like this happened… it was Hibari. He got hurt in the back, and I took him home… I blushed, then quickly shook my head. "Ah…! N-Nothing. it's just, well, when you did that… you know – fall… and stuff, er… it kinda reminded me of someone who did that to me before, I mean… he was hurt too." I stuttered out, and I looked down at the man in my hold, his head over my shoulder, after realising that he had not replied. "…What's wrong?"

"…Ngh…" He grunted out, as a thick stream of blood dripped from his nostril. Black Suit Purple Shirt re-opened his eyes wearily and slowly pushed himself off me, struggling back to stand on his feet.

"EEK! You're hurt!" I squeaked, my eyes widening at the sight of the blood dripping down his chin.

"No." He replied, as he wiped away at the blood and adjusted his suit, frowning. He was bleeding but he still looked so cool, despite his exceptionally weary and pallid demeanour. "….This is the effect of the Round White Machine."

"The white what?"

"…I must go." He said, and immediately, he tore himself away from my grasp and fled into the woods and out of sight, even though I called for him to come back.

…..

I was worried about Black Suit Purple Shirt but something told me he would be fine; he was a man and so he will deal his own things in the most manly way possible. Plus, he was an adult so he will also handle this in the most adultly way possible, too. Ahh, whatever; I'm not thinking right. I must've hit my head too hard back there. I rushed home and threw my fists against the front door. A few seconds later, and dad emerged. "…Rin, you're home – " His eyes promptly widened at the sight of the dried blood all over my attire and the bandage on my shoulder. "What happened to you?"

"A girl who transferred to my school today tried to kill me. With a GUITAR." I grumbled angrily, "And there's this guy called Haku, who-who… oh, never mind…Dad, what the hell is going on?"

Before he could speak, a voice piped up from the sidelines: "Ciaossu."

Upon hearing the familiar voice, I looked down to dad's foot where the baby from this morning was, standing, and dressed in a black suit and fedora hat. The lizard beanie toy sat on the hat brim, staring at me with its strangely realistic and glossy, amber eyes.

I gawped at him in astonishment, then turned to dad for answers. "…W-What's going on?"

"Innocenti, it'll be wise if we talked about this inside."

Instantaneously, I turned to the baby with my jaw hanging open. "…..You spoke…in a perfect sentence?"

"Yes, I did." replied the baby, blinking his large, black beady eyes at my bewildered form. "I am quite adept at speech."

"B-But you're…"

"A baby? Yes, well, looks can deceive."

I threw my shocked gaze to dad in response, expecting answers. Dad looked extremely u-n-c-o-m-f-o-r-t-a-b-l-e. "Rin, just come inside and I'll – "

"NO! Tell me right now! Why did he call you 'Innocenti'?"

Dad paused for a moment, "…..Because that's my other name, Rin."

"Wha - ? What do you mean that's your other name…?"

As I did a double take, dad closed his eyes, and let out another shaky exhale. "...I think it's time you learnt who I really am."

I merely stood, looking silly and lost on the doorstep; I swallowed down a growing lump in my throat. "W...Who you really are…?" I stuttered, "What the…What is that supposed to mean?"

"I'm a member of a Secret Society that belongs to the mafia, Rin. And you're my daughter, so - "

"WHOA. Wait, hold it – The MAFIA? Now it's got something to do with the freaking mafia?"

"…Yeah."

"As in, pinstripe suits, godfathers and guns? THAT kind of mafia?"

"Well, no, not really. Times have changed, but…"

"Are you kidding me?" I said, although I was on the verge of yelling if I wasn't careful… and the last thing I needed was Hibari storming over to see what the ruckus was about. "….You _are _kidding, right?"

Dad's response was solemn. Very solemn. And serious.

"_No_."

He wasn't kidding.

"So….what? Does this mean you've… _lied_ about yourself the entire time…?"

"I was protecting you."

I intervened immediately. Nothing was making sense. Dad was part of the mafia? He belonged to a society that 'secret'? His name was…. His name was Innocenti? I had no idea what, or why this was happening. All I knew was…. I was suddenly very angry. I hurt all over. My head hurt. My freaking shoulder hurt from that crazy attack earlier on. "Protecting me?" I seethed out, my fist clenching at my side, "Protecting me from what? This?" And I gestured angrily to my bleeding shoulder.

"….Yeah."

I wasn't sure why I was furious all of a sudden. I shook my head at him, taking a step back away from the door, back to our open front gate. "I don't believe this… I….I need some time alone…" I muttered, and I took off running out of our front garden, and back down the street.

"RIN!" Dad yelled, leaping out of the doorway and taking off after me - but I was too far down the neighbourhood block.

He turned to Reborn, who let out a sigh. "…That was subtle, Innocenti. Now hurry up and get your daughter back here before she gets killed…"

…..

Meanwhile, at the abandoned textile shop on the suburbs of Namimori, Yura finally succumbed to her wound and dropped to the floor of the corridor before she could make it to the door, blood spilling around her. She gasped out, her fingernails scraping off against the floorboards. "…Can't…let Kazama Rin go…" She croaked out. "Hurry…"

"Just take it easy, Yura." Haku said, as he opened the door and stepped in. "…Evie?"

A girl looked up; she was sitting at the window, previously engrossed with staring inquisitively at a pigeon that was strutting around the windowsill, its head bobbing up and down as it pecked at a few breadcrumbs which were purposively scattered around. Rai was sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up on the table, chewing on an unlit cigarette, his nose stuck in a manga book. He was surrounded by a vast amount of empty beer bottles and cup noodles.

"…Haku-sama." The girl said, getting up from her seat and bowing respectfully.

Rai looked up from his manga book, peering over his sunglasses to Haku, "Who's dying this time?"

"Shut it, Rai!" yelled an irritated Yura from the corridor, before she broke into a coughing fit. "I'm not… dying!"

As Rai sniggered and returned back to his manga, Haku let out a helpless sigh at the situation and said, "You know what to do, Evie."

Evie nodded and quickly scampered to the corridor, helping Yura up off the floor. "Hai, Haku-sama. I will make sure she is back up in no time..."

* * *

Evie is a character featured in my KHR one-shot, _The Road Trip_ - I don't think this story is a prequel or directly linked to The Road Trip in any way, but to those who have already read it, she is supposed to go with Gokudera, although that wasn't entirely the case…


	11. The Temporary Hitman

I actually hate stories that have too many OCs, becase it's annoying and makes the story harder to picture, but... it seems this story is actually heading down towards that direction D: Hmm, lemme see here...

**OC Number 1: **Rin  
**OCs Number 2 and 3: **Mitsukuni and Otogi  
**OC Number 4: **Hanabi  
**OC Number 5:** Mayuki (Rin's archrival classmate)  
**OC Number 6:** Kotobuki Yura  
**OC Number 7:** Haku (first appeared in Chapter 9)  
**OC Number 8:** Rai (first appeared in Chapter 8)  
**OC Number 9: **Evie (first appeared in Chapter 10)

... Anyone I left out? Dunno :s Anyway...Wow, that's quite a lot of OCs! Okay, it's official. Out of all my stories, Cosmo G: KHR Style has the most OCs. And, it's been three chapters since Rin's been hunted, so it's time to wrap things up! (PS. This is meant to be Part 3 but labelling chapters as 'My Dad, Part Blah' got srsly boring! Lol)

**Chapter 11**

_My Dad, Part III_

_The Temporary Hitman_

I saw dad get into his van before driving off, possibly hoping to go round the neighbourhood to see if I was lurking on the streets or in public infrastructure by my lonesome. Instead, I went to the last place he'd look – an abandoned youth hostel that still stood by its gloomy lonesome on the suburbs near the would-be highway road. It's not necessarily a dangerous place, but still a place one wouldn't go nonetheless save for drastic circumstances.

I stepped in and was greeted by a large group of homeless people huddling in their own self-proclaimed territorial corners of the derelict edifice. At first, they ogled me as if I was worth robbing, but when they saw the blood and my lack of other material belonging except from the grungy school uniform on my back, they seemed to have become mind-ridden with second thoughts and kept to themselves. I then briefly stomped over to an empty space and plopped myself down, eyeing the strangers back.

…. Maybe this was a bad idea.

What do I do now from here on?

When I was younger, I briefly imagined, and contemplated, what I would do if I ran away from home. Frequently, those thoughts occurred when dad and I were engaged in heated argument over something (usually) stupid, and the both of us were too stubborn to admit our own common faults. If I did run away, I had thought then, I'd pack toilet roll, my MP3 player, my phone, some cash, maybe some chips and chocolate, clean clothes, a good book to read and a pen and paper.

At the present circumstance, I had none of the aforementioned.

I shivered and huddled. Inevitably, I knew I had to return home. I shouldn't have run away like that. I should've at least heard dad's side of the story… he must've had it pretty tough, too. And instead of me lending support and encouragement as a daughter, I'd high-tailed and ran away.

… Rin, you moron!

Before I took a step, an intense force sent the entire hostel walls shaking. Earthquake? I was swept off my feet and was flung to the far wall. The homeless people were rocked off their positions, and before long, began to scream and scuttle away to safety. Meanwhile, I struggled to get back up, having landed on a pile of debris, spluttering and groaning. I was onto the stage where I felt like my lungs were going to pop out of my mouth if I coughed too hard.

"Kazama, get ready to die." snarled a voice, as a figure stormed through the open doorway of the youth hostel. Upon closer inspection, I realised it was Yura, looking as fresh and energetic as ever, "Ready for round two?"

At the sight of her, I couldn't help but gasp out, "….You're…You're alive…?" I remarked, as I pulled myself back up, limping slightly.

"Of course I am. That was just a graze." She scoffed, flicking at her hair. She was not in her school uniform this time; instead, her attire consisted of a black sleeveless-vest top embroidered with thin, transparent black lace stitched at the bottom and on the outer sleeves. A skirt - it was identical to a tutu - was supported by a thick section of bundled fabric sewn together to keep it bouncy and afloat on her waist, exposing her thin legs which were covered in striped pink and black tights and leather platform shoes with low heels.

"Or… maybe you're just too stubborn to die." I muttered, "…How did you find me?"

"Running away from your daddy was the wrong thing to do. You can't imagine how remarkably easy it is to pin down a fledgling that strayed too far from its nest."

Her sentence was too long and I was too nervous to think properly so I didn't understand. "What do you want with me anyway?"

She looked at her black nail-polished fingers. "….Well, since your dad refuses to come back with us… The next best thing we need is his daughter in our grasp to convince him otherwise..."

"Like hell I'll ever let that happen!" I commented, eliciting a raging response from her.

She frowned and whipped out her electric guitar from behind her back, which had been strapped over her by a leather strip. "Oh really? Tough talk for someone who got creamed by yours truly just an hour ago." She imitated the sound of a whip-cracking and I gritted my teeth.

Yura sure as heck wasn't waiting to get pulverised again like last time. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, as Yura raced towards me with profound vigour, bloodlust in her eyes. I stepped back in fright but it didn't protect me from a well-aimed punch to my jaw. I went spiralling in the air and tumbled back down. It dawned to me I was extremely lucky last time that Black Suit Purple Shirt was here. But now, I was alone, and undeniably a human punchbag, if I didn't do anything soon.

"Get ready for the Stormwave of the Century, Kazama!" She strummed the guitar furiously and another soundwave came ricocheting towards me. I was too slow in getting away and it hit me full force, slamming into my chest again. I felt it rivet through my entire being, as if my ribs had been slammed down, pressing into ever fibre of my wellbeing. I screamed as my body was relentlessly thrown back to the ground.

Panting hard in short, quirky breaths, I slowly rose up, groaning and wincing the entire time.

"How the heck can you still be standing after that?" Yura roared furiously, and she sent another shockwave towards me, which pounded into my once more.

Skidding halfway across the dirty floor, I came to a stop at the wall. Grunting, I grabbed hold of a brick that was sticking out and tried to pull myself up again…. until an ailing sensation flowed through me – and I felt like retching, my stomach upheaved and my ribs contracted and my throat felt like a bottleneck – except when I opened my eyes, a puddle of blood splashed onto the floor from my mouth. I stared hard, then used my hand to wipe at the unfamiliar red gunk that was still flowing from my lips.

_Blood…_

_I'm coughing up blood…_

…_am I… am I going to die…? _

_Die here…?_

Yura giggled, making her way towards me as I continued in my dazed stupor. "…Never mind. I think I actually like this better." She readied the guitar, but then –

"Ciaossu."

Immediately, Yura turned round. "Whut the – "

A shadow stood at the open doorway. His black-brimmed fedora covered his eyes. He held a gun in one hand, the other behind his back. The infant looked up, and smiled at me. "Kazama Rin," said the baby, "Pick yourself up and _fight_."

"…I…I can't…"

As if Yura would be stupid enough to wait for me to somehow digivolve due to the arrival of this baby – she strummed a furious note on her guitar and just before the soundwave hit –

"Rin, look out!"

I used what strength I had left to throw myself out of the way to safety.

"Use Leon!" The baby commanded, and a slimy green thing leapt from the brim of his hat and landed inches beside my head.

I squinted over and gasped out, "…L-Leon?" It was the chameleon toy from before… except, it blinked at me and made a funny, twittering sound. I gawked at it with widened eyes.

"Use Leon - He will help you!"

Just as Yura came lunging at me, I guessed I had nothing to lose, so I grabbed the so-called Leon without thinking twice and an intense bright light shone – Yura came temporarily frazzled and stumbled backwards, shielding her eyes. "Ah! What the - ?" She shrieked, squeezing her eyes shut or else she'd risk blinding herself.

Finally, when the light disappeared, I gawked at Leon – who had been replaced with a rod in my hand. It was long, maybe the size of a steel pipe – it was sleek and pea-green in colour, with an orange love-heart at the top. Two, blinking lizard eyes stared back at me.

"W-What the - ?" I screamed angrily at the green magical-girl-like rod in my hand. "What's this supposed to mean? GET SERIOUS!"

The green rod began to 'sweat' a little and emitted another bright, blinding light – again, after the glow died away once again, a large, rounded, circular weapon was suddenly clutched in my palm. My mouth dropped open once again in astonishment. It had three blades, resembling a pinwheel, with a chain attached to the centre – and the centre, it had a horizontal bar for my hand to grip round. I trembled slightly….what do I do with it?

"…Leon?" I croaked out, "Why…Why is it a… a… actually, I'm not really sure what it is…"

"It is a shuriken," The baby said, with a smile, "Your father told me you have a good arm."

"…A…shuriken? It doesn't look like a normal shuriken…"

Yura let out a sigh. "How is it that a _**baby**_ has more common sense than you?" She said. And just as I looked up, Yura was coming at me full-swing. "Retro Wave!" She yelled, and an invisible soundwave came at me. I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. The baby watched the unseen force – like wind – whip up old leaflets and pamphlets and newspaper that were littered around the reception hall into the air, dancing. What you see in a subway tunnel when the train comes roaring past.

I screamed and ducked, careful not to cut myself on the sharp blades of my own weapon – that'd be an extremely foolish and embarrassing manoeuvre then. "Ahhhh! What do I do?" I shrieked out helplessly at the baby.

"Throw it!"

I did as I was told; I meekly tossed the shuriken with a puny fling of my arm – the weapon went hurtling out of my hand, skimming through the air effortlessly, silently, slicing through the atmosphere as if it had a mind of its own. Yura dodged it, as I had expected, and I looked down, noticing that the chain was still in my hand. I made a funny noise as the chain went taut and the shuriken suddenly went flying back towards me. "Eek!" I squeaked, turning back to run away.

"Rin, what are you doing?"

"That thing's going to cut me in half if I don't get out of the way!"

The baby assured me. "You need to catch it. Think of it like a boomerang!"

"Catch it?"

I squealed, paling drastically, "I-I can't catch it! That thing's got blades! They're sharp!"

"Just trust in yourself!"

…_Trust? _

I squeezed my eyes shut. "NO! I can't do this! T-This is crazy!" _I've always wondered what life had in store for me. I didn't realise it would be this!_

"Kazama Rin, don't you care what happens to your father?" The baby said, "Well, do you or do you not? If you run away from this, how can you face your father?"

"…I…I…"

… _This isn't about me anymore._

_I have to protect dad. _

_I can't let them take him away._

_By all means.  
__By any means. _

_I __**have**__ to defeat Yura._

_And the only way I can defeat Yura is if I…_

I supposed it was one of those moments you see in movies when something dramatic happens and people see the error of their ways, or, see this shining light of hope and somehow they become a better person or understand themselves a bit better because of a sudden moment of GREAT REALISATION. Well... whatever. I wasn't sure what it was exactly but I don't think it mattered anyway; I turned back, just to see the shuriken spinning towards me and I wasn't sure why I did, but I reached forwards with my eyes clenched shut, praying that the worst would not happen. And then, to my complete astonishment, something solid rammed into my palm. I recoiled a little, and I re-opened my eyes.

The shuriken had returned to me…

"I…I did it…" I muttered out in disbelief, "I-I really did it..."

_HOLY EFGHKWLJFSJADDLFSAHJSFJEWR!_

The infant smiled at me. "You know what you must do."

I nodded, now smiling gratefully at the infant, then switched my gaze down the shuriken, at the thing called Leon, in my hand. Somehow, I felt a surge of confidence brimming through me. I wasn't quite sure why…

_But I… I think I might be able to….actually do this…_

Without hesitating any longer, I turned to Yura, positioning myself into a better, balanced stance, as Yura steadied herself with her guitar at the same time. "…Are you ready?" I growled at her, swinging the shuriken around and around in a circle by the chain in my hand, "I'm going to kick your ass."

Yura growled out, and we circled each other, as if waiting for one to make the first move first. A bead of sweat dripped down my forehead as I pondered what approach I should use in this Roman Colosseum fight to the DEATH. Should I be offensive and go on for full assault, or should I be defensive and be on the guard? Let her wear herself out? Wait until she's exhausted then go ape on her? No, that may take a while. And I had to be back by eight for dinner. Weird, I know, but true. Then again, judging by what was happening, I supposed dad had no time to abide to a dinner schedule.

She laughed again, "Just because you caught that thing doesn't make you a better fighter than I am. I have years of experience – and what do you have? Some fancy shape-shifting toy which you haven't even used before."

I paled slightly. _She's right__, _I thought. This really was just a fancy toy with two beady orange eyes and a mind of its own. And I had never fought anyone in my life before! Where do I even begin? Damn it, I knew I should've bought that D-I-Y Karate DVD I saw on sale in …

Hmm. So, now what?

I guessed I'd try copying what people on the action movies did. Blindly, I charged forwards with a roar with the shuriken above my head, my hands spinning around like helicopter propeller blades. Wraaarghhhhh…

What the heck was I doing? Never mind, keep charging! Wragghh -

Yura kicked me and I fell to the ground.

"Ow."

She sighed. "….…..This is _embarrassing_."

Meanwhile, I rolled off the ground and stood back up, shivering all over, just in time to see the baby shake his head at me. "Rin, haven't you noticed a pattern?"

"…Pattern?"

Just before the baby could speak furthermore, she strummed her guitar but I managed to evade the attack by a clumsy forward roll to the side. "What's the pattern?" I shrieked, "Tell me! Tell me right now!"

"No fair!" Yura screamed, "That's cheating,!"

I couldn't care less if it was cheating. I turned back to the baby pleadingly again. "Hurry!"

" - the soundwaves are short-range and only last for a few seconds or so," said the baby, "…. Whenever she strums her guitar, the soundwaves come out, right? Well, after the soundwaves comes out, _she's completely open to an attack."_

"…So?"

Now it was the baby's turn to sigh. "…If you can avoid the range of the soundwaves and come up to her, then you can gain an upperhand because she'll be too slow to counter and the close proximity means she might get hit by her own attack, since it is sound-based."

"And come face to face with her? No way!"

"I don't think you have an option here."

Yura growled and sent another soundwave towards me; the baby was right. Once the soundwave comes, Yura's vulnerable because the wave is already on its course. If I somehow find my way round, I can approach her and attack. Okay… here goes nothing… I came at her but once again – another soundwave came - Her eyes widened as I ducked round the attack by dodging under and to the left, and I reared back up in front of her; she brought her guitar upwards as a means of defending her exposed, susceptible self – and our weapons clashed with a loud 'clang' – the recoil sent shockwaves through our arms but I was determined not to let this beat me down.

One of the blades of my shuriken was caught on the neck of her guitar, trying to push down. Yura struggled, not believing what was happening. We shoved each other away and landed back a few steps away at a safer proximity.

Yura growled at me again as I eyed her back beadily, swinging the shuriken around again. "Hmph. I guess it's time to take it up a notch." She said, scowling at me. "Stormwave of the Century!"

Rigorously, she strummed her guitar, the soundwaves flying out like crazy. I was too slow to avoid them this time, and one hit me squarely in the chest, sending me bounding back. I let out a yelp as I flew off my feet, and Yura laughed.

"There's no way you can beat me!" She screeched, "I'll just keep 'em coming and coming!"

_She's right. There's no way I can beat that! _I glanced down at the shuriken in my hand, and without thinking twice, I threw it. It curved through the air, and then –

"Argh!" Yura fell backwards when the shuriken slammed into her guitar, knocking it out of her arms. It dropped to the floor, the guitar strings cut.

Her face went red.

Then redder.

And redder.  
And redder.

I stared at her, sweating a little.

_...That looks unhealthy._

"You…You…. broke my guitar…" She muttered out unfocusedly, then - "I… I'LL KILL YOU!"

She roared and lunged at me; we both went crashing to the ground in a crumpled heap. Yura's fist clenched and it went slamming into my face. I gasped out, as she delivered another blow to my face. Seeing stars, I shook my head clear just in time to curl my fist and bring it crashing to the side of her head. Yura toppled off me and I dived for my shuriken. At the same time, Yura reached for my foot and I fell. She crawled over me to get her guitar but I threw her off, then made another dive for my shuriken, but she got to her guitar first.

She pulled out one of the guitar's tuning picks from the guitar neck; I realised it had another needle end like the one that stabbed into my shoulder before – then she threw herself at me and we rolled, stopping to a halt when I hit the wall. Yura stabbed the needle down towards my face but I grabbed her wrist just before she could stab me in the eye and we struggled.

I went slightly cross-eyed as the needle end hovered above me, just inches from my nose, my grip on her wrist was beginning to loosen and the needle slipped forwards – I threw my head to the side in time and the needle tip scraped against my cheek.

"Rin!" The baby yelled, stepping forwards as soon as he saw the needle scratch at my face.

"N-No…I…I got this…" I grunted out, as Yura laughed, her eyes crazy and filled with bloodlust. I moved my grip from her wrist to the needle, and I bit down my lip as the pain seeped through, but then slowly, but surely –

_SNAP!_

The needle broke in half under my aching hand and Yura's mouth hung open in shock. I took this moment to shove her off me. I rolled back upright, ignoring my bleeding palm. Yura reached for her guitar next; I grabbed the shuriken off the floor just in time to defend myself as Yura lashed forwards and the guitar neck stopped, stuck in the centre of the shuriken's circular centre.

She gasped, and tried to pull out, but to no avail. I took this as another cue to counter; I wrenched the guitar away and out of her hands and delivered a puny headbutt to her stomach. Yura stumbled back and landed on the ground; I lunged at her and she fell back to the ground. I clinched my fist up tight and brought it ramming against her left cheek, then her right, her left… her right… her face went back and forth with each punch I delivered.

I wasn't even sure where this came from. Soon, my hand began to get red. It wasn't my blood. Every pent-up rage and humiliation I had experienced beforehand was finally coming out. Revenge, I thought. Revenge revenge revenge - and I stopped – then grabbed the shuriken and raised it above my head.

She stared up at me in horror as the shuriken triple blades folded into one single blade in one smooth, fluid motion, and with a yell, I brought it crashing down towards her throat, but then -

Remembering what Black Suit Purple Shirt had done to her before, I blinked at Yura's trembling face, how pale she had become, how terrified she was at the face of defeat. And no longer did I feel fuelled by anger. Yura didn't deserve to be killed… Even if she was a hitman. She was still a human being, after all. She was a girl, a brat, a girl who liked to play the guitar. The lead Bass Player of a rockband.

I stopped myself in time, remembering who I was.

I lowered my arms. What was I doing? I had almost every intention to rip her apart from the inside out. When did I become so bloodthirsty and violent? Slowly, I tossed the shuriken to the side. She inhaled a sharp breath of air and choke, clutching at her throat. "You…What are you doing?"

"I'm not going to kill you."

"…Then you're pathetic." She spat out, throwing me a dirty look.

"Who are you?"

"…I already told you."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"Because I was told to."

"By who? Haku?"

Yura scoffed at me. "…As if I'll tell you."

"Then I'll make you tell me."

"Are you _**torturing **_me now for answers?" Yura said with a raised eyebrow. Then, she broke into a wide grin. "Hoho, look at you… You just went from slimy pushover to extortionist extraordinaire in less than a day."

"…Who told you to come here anyway?"

Yura clucked her tongue and threw her gaze away, refusing to answer. _WHAM! _Her response was met with my clenched fist to her right cheek. The impact made her head swing to the side. I tried again, "Who?"

There was a brief, bitter pause. Finally, she croaked. "Our leader."

"….So it's… it really is Haku who's pulling the strings. I take it he's the big bad boss I have to fight at the end?" I said, "But why? I mean, why us?"

"…We don't need reasons to take up a job."

"Job? So...attacking me and trying to take my father away is your job?"

"Of course. We get paid/. We sign contracts. Heh, I can't wait 'til Haku mops the floor with you." She replied, still grinning.

I got off her a moment later. "…Go."

Yura stopped, and stared incredulously at me.

"Go back to your leader." I said, "And tell him I'll rip him a new hole."

At that point, the baby intervened immediately. "Rin, what are you doing?" For once, the baby sounded genuinely shocked. And without waiting, Yura seized her guitar and was gone and out of our sight, leaving me and the baby by our lonesome in the youth hostel. "Has the whole entire mafia ordeal perhaps made you stark and raving mad?"

I looked at my bloodied hands. "…I... just beat someone up." Somehow, I... I wasn't sure why, but I had the feeling that for someone to do such a thing to another person, you must be a pretty bad person.

"I think you did more than that." replied the baby.

"...What was I supposed to do? Finish the job?"

"That would have been desired, yes." He said, and then, he sighed, "… But you did well. You demonstrated remarkable skills for your first battle. Are you alright?"

"…Y-Yeah… I'm fine. But… my fist really hurts." I said, nursing my aching fist. I handed him back the green thing called Leon that had now returned to its lizard-form. _…I don't want to use that thing ever again..._

"Have you ever considered becoming a hitman, Rin?"

"…Uh… H-Hitman?"

"Well, maybe not a permanent one. A temporary one."

"A temporary hitman…?" I murmured, then - "Urm…"

"Hmm, I think we have to discuss this later. You must return to your father: running off like that was a foolish thing to do. Your father is worried sick about you."

"I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted. Let's go back, shall we?"

"Sure. And, er… Thank you for letting me use that thing called Leon anyway."

"You handled the Leon shuriken very well."

I went slgihtly red. "…Er…thanks… Y-You… Who are you really?"

He smiled, before briefly adjusting his fedora hat. "My name is Reborn. I'm a home tutor. I'm currently looking for a boy named Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"…Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

"Do you know him?"

I nodded, "I've heard of him. He's in a year lower than me."

"I see." Reborn replied, and then, he offered me his hand, "What do you say we work together for the time being, Kazama Rin?"

**Meanwhile…**

The abandoned textile store was quiet; Yura stumbled up the stairs towards the second storey with her broken guitar behind her. Arriving at the dark hallway, she felt her way through the corridor, guided by the walls and the moonlight that flowed through the windows that stretched high to the ceiling. Eventually, she arrived at a door at the very end, and opened it.

Stumbling inside the room, she stopped, gawping at the only person in the room: Rai, who was still stretched out lazily on the dusty sofa whilst flipping through his manga book. Yura fumbled uncomfortably as a stony silence followed her entrance, "…Where's Haku?"

Rai didn't look up, "He said he had some unfinished business back in Italy. He won't be back for a long time." Pause. "Want some pizza?"

Yura averted her gaze to a box of pizza on the table beside the sofa, then took note of the large amount of junk food wrappers, snubbed out cigarettes and empty beer bottles and cup noodles littering the floor. "Is that all you've been doing all day? Sitting on your butt, smoking, drinking, eating crap and reading manga?"

"Yep," Rai replied, "…This is the life…"

She rolled her eyes, "Urgh. Look at this mess you've made. You're such a slob, Rai."

"Why, thank you."

"Where's Evie?"

"Went to the park, I think."

"…And why did Haku leave?"

"I dunno. Ten bucks says it's family shit." Rai said absent-mindedly, leaning over and reaching for a pizza slice.

"Ten bucks says it's because he wanted to get away from you and your bad habits."

"Very funny, Yura." Rai replied, and he put away his manga book to the side, to chew at the pizza, "So, tell me what happened."

She inwardly grimaced. "….I don't wanna talk about it."

Almost immediately, Rai began laughing, and Yura blushed furiously, rubbing at her bruised cheek and tousled tresses. He said, trying to contain his laughter, "…Lemme guess; you got your ass kicked, big time."

"I-It's not funny, you dick!" She screamed back at him furiously as she moved to sit down beside him, "Look what she did to my guitar, Rai! Do somethinggggg!" And then she grabbed the sleeve of his hoodie and began to grab and tug and wail.

"Hey, don't burden me with your bitchfits. I don't do revenge." Rai frowned, prying her fingers off his sleeve. He finished the rest of his slice, then sat back against the sofa, folding his arms across his chest.

Yura crossed her arms then, grumbling sourly under her breath. Then, she sniffled. "…I lost."

"That muttonhead daughter actually defeated one of us, eh?" Rai said, scratching at his chin, "Guess it's my turn next."

"What are you going to do, Rai?"

At that point, he smirked, "…What I do best."

* * *

I wonder if Rin was a bit Mary Sue in this chapter... Anyways, one of Yura's attacks was called Stormwave of the Century, which is a 'storm' based attack, so even though this story takes place before KHR Volume 1, the ring attributes are present but not manifested entirely as the Storm, Rain, Cloud, Sky etc, but it's just to let you know that the hitmen sent to kill Rin are in fact of each attribute.

I've been meaning to start my own KHR Community for OC fics. It can be Anyone x OC. I'm not sure what to call it it yet, though. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions on fics, and if anyone would like to join? :)

Lots of luv, Fish and Chips xxx


	12. You're Probably Wondering why I'm Here

This is Part IV! I assure you, the next chapter will **not** be Part V – after this chapter, the 'My Dad' Saga is over.

Unfortunately I haven't had time to work on the community or look at stories to add yet but I liked the ideas so far.

**Chapter 12**

_My Dad, Part IV_

_You're Probably Wondering Why I'm Here_

**10pm.**

Reborn and I returned home as fast as we could. I apologised to dad but he merely smiled and said it wasn't my fault. And because he did that, everything felt like it **was** my fault. We sat down in the lounge with the blinds drawn to discuss things, and I couldn't help but feel as though dad didn't feel like 'dad' anymore. Reborn cleared his throat. "…Innocenti, Rin, I would like your full attention, please." He said, while we gawked at him, unsure what the next step from here on was. "Everything's going to be fine; Rin has defeated the first hitman."

Dad turned to me, his eyes bulging. "What?"

"It's true." I replied, "I…er…. Defeated her."

Suddenly –

"Huh?" I blinked, then put a hand to my jaw, before cupping my entire palm over my mouth. I coughed, and then pulled my palm back. In my hand, were two teeth. My eyes widened at the sight of the consequences of having a fist being sent to the face previously. "EEK!" I dashed to the mirror on the landing wall and opened my mouth, then glanced at the two missing teeth from the top row of my gums. I stared, frozen up with horror.

Wailing, I returned back to dad and Reborn, then woefully showed them the teeth.

"…Dad..."

He gave me an exasperated look. "Rin! Just let me say this – there was a reason I left the Society – _I didn't want any of this_."

"You need to tell me the whole story, dad. I'm not getting the bigger picture."

Dad swallowed down. He reached beside him on the table and grabbed his beer, before taking a brief swig. "….I ran away." He moaned, "From the Secret Society... which is not so Secret anymore - I was young, naïve and stupid. I picked the wrong time to pack up my bags and do a runner - they discovered a series of technological scripts compiled a long time ago by a philosopher. I'm assuming they can't make any progress in their research without me."

I took a seat opposite him; Reborn followed suit and sat on our mouldy cushions beside me on the sofa. "Why?"

"I took one of the blueprints, or 'scripts' with me. They probably want it back."

"Give it back then."

"…That's the problem. I don't have it."

"What do you mean you don't have it?"

"I lost it when we moved here."

I slapped a hand over my forehead as dad scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Then we can tell them: 'We don't have it, so leave us alone'!"

"Yeah, just go ahead and tell them the truth, and then they'll definitely kill us for sure."

"So, what do we do? We lie? And pretend we still have it?"

"No, what I mean is that _Me Not Having the Blueprint Doesn't Change Anything_. They still want me to come back." Dad replied, "I thought they'd find someone to replace me after I left, obviously they just want _**me**_ to continue where I left off."

"There's a saying in the mafia: Don't leave any business unfinished." Reborn added.

I averted my attention back to dad, whose beer bottle was shaking in his hand as he lifted it up to his lips for another sip. "And now your colleagues want to KILL you?" I breathed out in horror. I sat back into the sofa, letting myself sink into the sofa. I let out a sigh of distress and slapped a hand over my forehead once again. Ohh, this is too much.

"Maybe not exactly kill me. They just… want to capture and enslave me and force me to work at the underground laboratory for the rest of my miserable, middle-aged life."

"...That's not going to happen." I said.

He shook his head. "We're not exactly on good terms after I left." Dad replied morosely, placing down the bottle and letting out a long sigh. It was odd we were talking about this in the lounge, and so casually, too. Dad continued, "It was a long time ago. I met your mother through a friend of mine – well, not exactly a friend… he became my rival – "

"Rival?"

"Let's just say I'm very good at my work and a lot of people envy my talent and credibility."

"…What did you do, dad?"

"I made weapons."

"Weapons?"

Dad seemed unfazed by my response. "Yeah." He grunted out, in a rather matter-of-fact tone. "I made tonnes of them."

I felt slightly disturbed. "…What kind of weapons?" I asked, a little nervously.

He shrugged. "All sorts."

"For mafia families?"

"Yup. The Secret Society is an association of talents." He said (proudly?). "I sold them too."

"…So, er…. who was… or IS this rivals of yours?"

"You don't need to know his name, he's no-one important." Dad said with a brief nod of his head, "This is about me – so, I had two wonderful kids. Then I wanted to leave; I didn't want you to be raised up in the Society–"

"…But the past caught up to you." I mumbled, "Dad…Why didn't you tell me any of this? Does that mean your name…?"

"Innocenti is just an alias." He said. "I… never intended for this, Rin. I just wanted a normal life. And I wanted a normal life for you, too."

"….But… what about mom?"

Innocenti looked at me sullenly, then – "We divorced. She wanted to stay in the mafia. I wanted out. We fought."

"Dad…" I murmured, as an odd, uncomfortable and unsettling silence engulfed us. "…..You lost custody over Kazuya."

"That's right."

"But you got me."

"…I tried, Rin. I tried so hard."

"Then where is mom? Is she in danger?" I gushed out, sitting back upright in my seat.

"I'm not sure." Innocenti said, scratching his chin, "She refused to keep in contact after our divorce."

Reborn decided to add further comment, "I'm sorry, I'm going to have to interrupt you here - I suggest you both stop feeling sorry for yourselves and act now…or else, Innocenti - they will kill your daughter, because you have not complied with their wishes - I heard they contacted you before, but you refused."

"Yeah. Someone came the other day." Innocenti replied, after a slight hesitation. "This young guy with black hair, red sunglasses and a hooded top."

"I see… they have taken drastic measures to ensure your return to the Secret Society."

"What do you know about them, Reborn-san?" He questioned, and I listened to all of this, the dreadful feeling in my gut escalating profoundly.

"….Local intel has informed me that a member of the Society recently dispatched elite assassins from mixed backgrounds, formed together and hidden under the public identity as the rock band, _**Fascination with Assassination**_. I didn't realise they were touring Namimori."

I scoffed loudly. "Wow, they put so much thought into that name. I mean, who wouldn't think they're hitmen?" I said, with a roll of my eyes.

"Why not? It's a clever disguise. And you faced against one of the members today. The Bass Player, in fact." Reborn replied expectantly.

"And now… those mooks all want a piece of me now. Dude, that's wacked…"

Reborn nodded, as Innocenti stood up in his seat all of a sudden, his fist clenching tightly. "No. I don't want you involved in this anymore. You got lucky, defeating the first hitman sent after you. Listen, I want you to pack your belongings. I'll try and get in contact with your mother as soon as possible, but – "

"No."

Innocenti looked thoroughly confused by my response. "What do you mean 'no'?"

"No." I repeated firmly, "I refuse."

He sighed and paced around the living room floor restlessly, before finally turning to me with a rather maddened, cloudy expression on his face. "Rin, now's not the time to be stubborn – your LIFE is on the stake here."

"I'm not going anywhere."

Dad slammed his fist on the table; I jerked up slightly in fright, having not anticipated that response at all. "Damn it, Rin! You could be _killed_!" He roared angrily. "I've never trained you, I've never exposed you to any of this kind of stuff – if you go out to face them now, it's like letting a sheep into a wolf's den!"

"But I've made my decision, dad. I'm not going with you." I affirmed as sternly as possible, "And I defeated Yura – "

"You said so yourself – they are a band – so there are MORE of them out there, who are obviously a hell lotta stronger than that girl called Yura, and they're all dying to tear you apart. Do you think you can put up with all of that? Just because you defeated one measly hitman doesn't mean you're suddenly invincible!"

"I-I didn't mean it that way..." I stammered, and he stared at me helplessly, then sighed, and promptly stepped out of the lounge; Reborn and I rose up from our seats, watching him. "Dad, where're you going?"

"I'll let them know I'm going to go with them, so they'll spare you."

I fell out of my position in surprise, then hurriedly followed him to the landing and grabbed his arm, stopping him in mid-step. "What? No, dad, you can't just give yourself up! You left for a reason – you didn't want anything to do with it – you can't just give up! And what about me? What will I do? I…I can't afford to lose you; you're my dad – "

"I won't stand back and let my daughter get killed." He remarked. "…Rin, it'll be alright. As long as I leave, you will be safe. You can live with your mom and brother from now on. That's my final decision."

"A wise choice." Reborn added, and I could only gape mutely at the infant who was still present in the lounge.

I turned back to dad desperately. "N-No…I-I don't want you to go… Dad, don't leave. I like living here… I like Namimori… I don't want to – " I made a feeble noise as he slowly and reluctantly pulled his arm from my grip and began to make his way upstairs. "Dad, don't do this."

Reborn shook his head "It's a bit late for you to do anything now, Innocenti. I suggest we all rest up for the night. We've had quite a day. We'll try and suss some things out tomorrow."

* * *

The rest of the evening went by in a strange, calm manner. We didn't have dinner; dad remained in his room after taking a bath, and I stayed in my room in my pyjamas, on the computer, surfing the net, looking at videos of the Hitmen rockband on Mootube, having flung my homework to the side again. I found a short video, taken from someone's cellphone, so the quality wasn't that great. I couldn't see them on the stage at all. They were a pretty new band so they weren't big on promotion and advertising yet. Nor was there any public news that identified them properly.

Frustrated, I shut the computer and went to bed. Reborn had left, saying that he had a few matters to attend to and that he'd back first thing in the morning. Although I was terrified another assassin would come, Reborn assured me that after Yura's defeat, the hitmen would have to re-evaluate their approach. I couldn't get to sleep. I looked around my room blearily. Too many things were going on. How could I possibly rest at a time like this?

A knock on my window made me squeak and sit up in bed, clutching the covers tightly to myself.

_What was that?_

The knock on my window came again. I wondered what to do, then ultimately decided: Ignore it! Yes, that's good. I delved back under my covers over my head, my eyes closed, trembling.

The knocking grew louder.

I whipped the covers off me, terrified. Dad might come in to see what was going on...he'd freak out… I supposed I would have to confront this; I clambered out of bed as quietly as I could, picked up an antique bongo drum which had a sprouting neck and brawny bongo base which I got from a day-stop at an airport in Peru, and I felt the weight in my hand. Pretty sturdy… getting hit by this could cause blunt head trauma… Good. With the bongo drum in hand, I nervously baby-stepped over to the window and with the bongo shaking in my hand, I pulled back the curtain.

It was Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy.

Regardless, his presence scared the pants off me, and I dropped the bongo. It conveniently landed on my foot and I cursed, hopping on my intact foot, nursing the injured one in my hands. "Ow ow ow ow ow ARGH GODDAMNIT FRICK FRICK FRICK HURTS SO MUCH I - " I smacked a palm over my mouth, hoping dad hadn't heard me.

Meanwhile, Black Suit Purple Shirt knocked impatiently on my window again. After that moment of pain was over, I hastily opened the window, and he climbed in, then –

_CRACK._

We exchanged blank looks at one another until Black Suit Purple Shirt looked down to his feet to see squished remnants of tissue paper and toothpicks and paper straws attached to the bottom of his polished black shoe.

Tears sprang in my eyes. "NOOOO! That was my science project! I spent ages on it!" I wailed, as I watched him peel off bits of glitter and sequins and a small piece of wire, "And you stepped on it! …Urgh. Never mind… What are you doing? My dad is home! Are you crazy? How do you even know where I live? Actually, you know what? I don't care anymore. Whatever. You saved my life so many times, I'll let you off the hook for now. Man, I need to chill out…"

Black Suit Purple Shirt-san glanced around my room as I sat on my bed, and then removed his suit jacket and his shoes, leaving himself in his shirt and slacks. "I need to talk to you." He said firmly.

"Okay, fine, just… as long as we keep our voices down, we'll be fine. Yes, yes, yes, we'll be fine."

And then - "_**Rin**_?" It was dad.

"Eek!" I leapt out of my skin and spun round to the door. "My dad's coming! If he sees you, I'll be in trouble - and I'm in enough trouble as it is - _Hide_!" I scrambled around to search for a hiding place – I pulled open my closet doors only to find it filled head to toe with dirty underpants and used tampons which I had completely forgotten to throw out. Embarrassed by own pig-sty, unsanitary habits, I flushed. However, Black Suit couldn't possibly hide in there – he was simply far too big. I checked under the desk, but it was so obvious and dad would be able to see. I turned to my bed but it wasn't those with a space underneath. So the only hiding place was -

Dad opened the door. "Rin? Are you alright?"

I swallowed down as I sat up in bed. "Y-Yeah, dad, I…I… er, thought I saw spider but it wasn't and now I'm okay so goodnight!"

Dad blinked. "Oh, okay." He glanced over, at the unusually huge lump beside me on my bed, then at the pair of extra large black shoes and black suit jacket that was draped over my chair which I had completely forgot about, and I stared back at him with widened eyes, a trickle of sweat dripping down my forehead. I quickly looked away from dad, who surprisingly said nothing of it. "…Goodnight, Rin."

"N-Night, dad."

He shut the door. We thought it'd be safe if we waited and until we heard the footsteps trailing away, so after a minute or two, after hearing dad's bedroom door click back shut, Black Suit lifted the covers off himself and sat up beside me on the bed. I sighed a breath of relief as I pulled back the duvet from the both of us, "Phew…"

He climbed out of his previously occupied spot and back onto my bedroom floor, before pulling out the seat of my desk and sitting himself down. He glanced at my CD rack and pulled out a random CD from the stand, then replaced it after a few seconds of scrutiny, then lifted up my headphones. He inspected those thoroughly before placing them down carefully, then promptly moved onto a photograph of me at a Pie-Eating contest. Finally, he swivelled round to face me in the chair, and crossed his arms. I blinked at him, wondering what his intentions were.

"That was close, huh? Dad didn't notice at all – I think – Ahhh, my heart's beating so fast. I hate being sneaky like this… Aigoo, I hope Hibari hasn't noticed anything either. No-one saw you climbing into my room, right?"

He nodded.

To be sure, I quickly clambered out of my bed, stood beside Black Suit and gazed out of the window. Black Suit watched me keenly as I glanced over to Hibari's house. "Hmn. All his lights are out. He must be asleep. Guess he didn't see anything." I turned to Black Suit Purple Shirt, who was still at my desk, while gesturing to Hibari's home. "That house belongs to my neighbour, Hibari Kyouya. He bullies me around a lot. I don't even know why. I mean, what did I ever do to him? You know, I read in a magazine that a guy who acts horrible to a girl means he secretly fancies her. But somehow, I can't imagine it."

Black Suit rubbed at his temple for a moment. Almost as if he was grimacing. A wince? He was exceptionally quiet… He must be feeling sick… I felt bad for wanting to tell him to leave. "…What's wrong?" I asked, "…Are you okay? I mean… you _**were **_kind of bleeding earlier on; sorry, I'll be quiet now and give you peace and let your head relax."

"It's nothing."

"I'll get you some aspirin if you want. Wait here." I told him to stay put and swiftly nipped out of my bedroom and into the landing. I closed the bedroom door behind me, giving Black Suit Purple Shirt an 'ok' sign with my hand.

I went on tiptoe again and hopcrossed over the landing, then once I got to dad's door, I swallowed down, then got down on my knees and hands, and quickly crawled like a seal on ice. I hastily dashed down the stairs, and entered the kitchen. In the Cupboard-of-Strange-Things, I came across a thimble, a rubber duck, a piece of 5-year old chewing gum that was still in its wrapper, a spork, a magic whiteboard marker and finally… a packet of aspirin. It looked kinda mouldy, the box, that is. Hmm, I suppose that would do as I didn't think medicine had an expiration date, and I suppose Black Suit might want some water with it, too.

Humming under my breath, I poured a glass of water and turned round just when –

"Oof!"

My nose crashed into something hard and I bounced back, if a hand hadn't reached out and grabbed my arm. I looked up to see Black Suit. "What are you doing? I told you to stay in my room."

He let go of my arm, then looked around the kitchen and the lounge. "I remember this."

I sighed. "Come on, let's go, before my dad comes. Go, go, go, go."

Black Suit didn't do anything except give my refrigerator one long, hard stare so I grabbed his shirt sleeve and tugged him back towards the direction of the staircase. We manoeuvred through the stairs as silently as possible, taking extra great care as we passed dad's closed door, and finally returned to the safety of my room.

I handed him the glass and aspirin. He blinked at me slowly, then accepted the glass off me and downed two tablets although I got the feeling he didn't really want to and was just taking them because I was insistent. "That should make you feel better."

"I understand your concern, but the tablets won't work." He said, as he handed the empty glass back to me, then reached over to pick up a sparkly, cringe-worthy glittery pen from my pencil stand on the desk and raising an eyebrow at it.

I sighed. Guess my assumptions were correct after all… There was another steely silence. It wasn't entirely uncomfortable, but…

"Well, since you're here," I began, "Why don't we talk? I'll start." I sat back down on the bed, as Black Suit Purple Shirt continued to watch me, with this fascinated look on his face; the same kind of fascination you might have as if you were looking at an exhibition in a museum. I blethered on regardless, waving my arms around and stretching my face into all sorts of strange eyebrow-raising expressions, "Ahem… Well, I like fishing … playing baseball…watching TV… movies… I play a lot of video games, and listen here; I have this part-time job at this Maid Café, right? But lately I haven't received any phonecalls on any shifts so they probably don't need me anymore but I'm still optimistic because I don't really mind working there, I mean, the pay is crap but the tips is good and I really like Hanabi because she's nice, a little strange, but still nice and – "

I paused, then turned to Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy.

"….Um…Sorry, I guess I got a bit carried away." I said, but somehow, I felt as though I had someone who I could confide in for once. It was a strange, but comfortable recognition. "So, er, what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I saw your battle with that girl, Yura." He said, and I cringed at the word 'battle'. It sounded too epic for my liking. "You are capable."

Completely unused to receiving compliments, especially weird ones like those, I wasn't going to complain, nor was I quite sure what to say, but… "Uh. Thanks." I blurted, my face becoming hotter and hotter than you could probably fry an egg on it.

"How are you feeling?"

I then looked down at my lap, and sighed. I tried to smile at him, although my cheeks seemed to hurt from doing so. "Weeeeell, I met a girl who I thought could've been a really good friend except she turned out to be lying the entire time, I'm being targeted by strangers who want me dead, my father is a man who makes weapons for the mafia and now he's being prosecuted… I don't know if my mom or my brother's still alive, I just beat the crap out of someone today and I actually feel horrible about it…I coughed up blood, I've been stabbed, stepped on, punched, kicked, slapped, smacked, so…how do you think I'm feeling at the moment?"

He crossed his arms with a calculating expression on his face, as I smirked back at him. Then -

_OH MY GAAAAWD AM I FLIRTING WITH HIM?_

I dropped my smirk and mentally slapped myself. It was unconscious, and... was it true? Was I ain't nuthin' but a Horndog? Flirting with an older man…. Have I no shame? I inwardly winced, appalled and disgusted with myself. Black Suit swivelled back round in my chair to face me, then got up, and sat down beside me on my bed with his legs crossed. Even when he was sitting down, he loomed over me.

"…Would this make you feel better?" He reached forwards for me without further ado, and put one hand to my cheek, then used his other hand to take my other cheek, cupping my face altogether. He rubbed his thumb over my bruises and I blinked back at him with widened eyes. Then he made me look up and down, right and left, before pressing my cheeks together to compress and squish my face into all sorts of possible shapes and sizes that I couldn't possibly imagine how ugly and hideous I looked at that precise moment. But he seemed to be strangely amused. He made me open my mouth, revealing the two missing teeth from the top row. I snivelled a little then wrenched my head away from his grasp in shame.

"Don't look at me, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san! I'm not worthy of you… I'm so fugly! I should just be left alone in a dark corner so people can point and laugh!" I moaned, hiding my face in my hands.

Suddenly, he leant over, pulled my hands away from my face and then –

My eyes widened thoroughly as I felt a hand under my chin, and my face was lifted up before his lips come in contact with my cheek. And just when I realised what had happened, he let go of me. It was quick. It was fleeting. It was... It was... I let out a high pitched squeak and tunnelled under the covers, clutching my cheek in stunned silence as I cowered and hid in embarrassment. No-one had ever done that to me before. I heard him coming over and inched away, but he still pulled back the covers, exposing my red-tomato face.

"Wha…What was that for…?" I squeaked, unable to look at him in the eye.

"…Your reward."

"R-Reward?" I spluttered out in confusion, "…For what? Defeating Yura? Y-You didn't have to do that!" I ultimately went red again, then threw my gaze to my lap and began muttering under my breath. "…..I…I…I…I…I…I….I..."

He crossed his arms as I continued to stumble and bumble, "What is it?"

"...As nice and kind as you are – _and you are_, by the way – you didn't have to give me a…_reward_, I mean, I don't deserve it."

"You don't have to be so modest about it."

"M-M-Modest?" I squeaked again, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks as he smirked. "S-Stop teasing meeeee!" I wailed, burying myself under the covers again.

He gave me a brief smile, then dug me up and sifted me out under the arms to sit beside him, before his hand landed on top of my head, and I stared at him again. His face was so gentle and so composed… I looked back down and sniffed. I simply sat there, with his hand on my head. "You're very brave, Rin." He knew my name? Well, I guess it wasn't surprising if he was one of dad's friends…

Eventually, he pulled back, and I bit down on my lip in wary silence, unsure what to say. "…Is there anything else you want or is that all you wanted to say to me?" I managed to mumble under my breath.

"I can't leave."

I looked up. "What do you mean?" Did he mean my room or Namimori in general? Make sense for once, Black Suit-san, gyaaaahghhh… You make so confuseddddd.

"I don't come from around here."

"…Oh… So you're stuck? You have nowhere else to go? You missed the last train home?" I asked, and Black Suit Purple Shirt contemplated shortly, then nodded. I suddenly remembered that he had mentioned a white round machine earlier on but decided not to say anything about that for the time being. "Where exactly are you from?"

"Somewhere far."

"You live that far away?"

He scrutinised at me for a few seconds, and then turned back round to look up at the waning moon outside the window. "You could say that, yes."

"Is it nice? You know – the place where you come from…?"

"Not really."

I put a finger to my chin, "Oh. I see. …Um… if it's not too much hassle, can I come?"

"…It'll be dangerous."

"I don't mind!" I replied, leaning slightly forwards in my spot, "Can I come with you one day? I just want to see. Please…?"

"Maybe."

"I'll look forward to it." I said with a smile, flopping back over my bed on my stomach.

"…I may not be able to visit you anymore."

I rolled onto my back and placed the pillow over my head. "…Huh? Why?" I asked, my voice muffled by pillowy softness.

"It's complicated."

"Then… just before you go, will you tell me? You know, say goodbye?"

"Of course."

"Promise?"

"…I promise."

"Thanks." A few moments later, I pulled the pillow off my face and –

He was suddenly hovering above me on the bed, his palms flat on the mattress at each side of my head. EEK! I didn't even realise - He was silent, so mysterious, so quick, I hadn't even noticed! I swallowed down as he leaned in, and pulled the pillow up to me, shrinking under him.

"…_W…What are you doing…_?"

I couldn't help but think, was I getting a 'reward' again? My mouth fell open as a stream of unclean thoughts bombarded my mind, running like a film reel. Immediately I batted them away, astounded and horrified at myself at the same time. I'm 16 years old and so _corrupted_. NO! It's his fault, too. Why was he doing this? I knew he realised deep inside. So he was just as guilty as I was! Er… oh, who am I kidding? I have responsibility, too, and I was the one who let him in tonight. I gathered myself again and shook my head clear. Mustn't think such dirty thoughts…Urkk!

Black Suit Purple Shirt, I don't deserve your kindness! Get away from me while you still have the chance! If you're not careful, I might lose control and – Oh, I'm too scared/mortified/embarrassed/stupid to say it... Alas! I am a beast …I bring shame to the 'Kazama' family name… repent! Repentttt! It's not too late! I sniffled in heavily; as I thought I had felt something runny and presumed it was probably a nosebleed I was trying to suppress.

I opened one eye up at Black Suit Purple Shirt as he continued to lean into me.

_No…Musn't give in... But...Can't… deny it…Black Suit Purple Shirt…He's too…too strong. No, can't…give in! Nghh, his power… too strong, he's just too effing HOT!_

Our noses almost touched; I gasped and quickly squeezed my eyes shut tightly, my heartbeat soaring right off the charts. When nothing happened, however, I re-opened my one eye, and glanced up and over.

He was lying beside me on the bed, but his arm was protectively placed over my shoulder, holding me tightly to him. I gawked at this perfect example of MAN, watching his chest rise up steadily with each inhale and exhale with my jaw hanging in mid-air, then cringed slightly at the situation. Rawwwr! Even when he was asleep he looked so drool-worthy. The perfect face, the chiselled jawline, those long eyelashes, the refined eyebrows, the flawless nose… the messy but windswept hair…I mentally slapped myself again as I felt my eyes predatorily scan his vulnerable, sleeping self and let out a distressed wail, stuffing a corner of the duvet into my mouth and chewing on it absent-mindedly.

…Was he actually asleep? I slowly tried to inch out from his embrace as quietly and unperturbed as possible, but I saw his eyebrows furrow and he tightened his grip on me. "Eek!" I squeaked, throwing him another glance, before I let my shaking hand unconsciously reach over, wanting to touch his hair – I don't know really why, it was probably just me being a complete pervert again and giving into my dirty schoolgirl tendencies, when –

He opened his eyes.

I quickly pulled back and looked at my fingernails innocently, but my reddening face and uncomfortable expression that was smothered over my face gave everything away. Ashamedly, I looked up, then blushed uncomfortably and threw my gaze to the far wall. He smirked anyway and closed his eyes again, snuggling into my side more. I bit down on my lip as I felt my face growing hot.

"What were you about to do?" He muttered, with his eyes closed.

Still flushing, I looked to the side in embarrassment. "N-Nothing…..Listen pal, you can't possibly stay here for the whole night. Besides, I – err, I mean…you're a man… well, duh, obviously, of course you are. And I'm, you know, a girl. You're in your early twenties, right? Well, I'm still in high school. There's an equation here, Mister, and something doesn't add up right. A guy… and a girl, in a room together by themselves at night... it's not righteous – it gives people the wrong impression. Er-hem, it certainly gives ME the wrong impression." I stammered, realising that he wasn't keen to get out of the bed - his back was rigidly against the wall of my room and I was halfway hanging off the edge of my bed and halfway squashed underneath him.

There was no response.

Sighing, I remained rigid in my spot, unmoving, sweating buckets, wondering what to do. In fact, a part of me didn't really want to do anything. But ten minutes later of absolutely nothing but stillness and the occasional gentle exhale and inhale from Black Suit Purple Shirt, I turned to him. Was he asleep for good? Again, I peered over curiously. Hm, maybe now would be a good time to slink out from his grasp. Unhurriedly, I peeled his arm off me lightly, holding it in mid-air with two fingers grasping his shirt sleeve, then let it lie over the pillow to replace me instead. I shrunk under, sucking in my gut and double chin into my neck to shuffle out from under him and off the bed, onto the floor. I slid down on the floorboards, pulled back down my pyjama top that had ridden up my stomach, and sat back up on the floor while looking around my bedroom, feeling cold of a sudden.

I turned back to the bed, where Black Suit Purple Shirt was, and watched him woefully with my head tilted to the side. Could I really tell him to leave? He was probably still hurt from before, and he had saved me countless of times so then telling him that he couldn't stay here would be a really horrible and selfish thing to do. But this wasn't entirely a helpful situation on my behalf, either. What if dad came in again? He'd get the wrong idea. And there's the whole guy-girl-in-a-room-together thing. It was night-time and we're in my room, alone. Just the two of us. Didn't something just scream 'Not Right' with this entire picture?

I sighed, and shook my head. No, no, no, I mustn't think like that. I know he is a good person so I have nothing to fear or worry and I wasn't that heartless to tell him to leave.

Okay, fine, Black Suit Purple Shirt, you win. I'll let you stay here for the night…

I looked around, then dragged a cushion out from the side and patted it clean, then plopped it upright against the foot of the bed near Black Suit Purple Shirt. I crossed my arms on the edge of the bed, watching him sleep, resting my chin on the bed.

_Sleep well_, I thought, getting back up to pull the covers over him. I tucked them over him as neatly as I could, then went to tend to my own sleeping space. I grabbed a large sweater from one of my laundry boxes that I had left lying around, and draped it over me as I lay over the cushion. It was uncomfortable, hard and cold, but I supposed I didn't mind. I sighed, staring at my ceiling, then at the bed, before reaching up to my desk to switch off the light.

"Goodnight, Black Suit Purple Shirt-san."


	13. The Forgotten Girlhood of Kazama Rin

**Chapter 13**

_The Forgotten Girlhood of Kazama Rin_

The man in the purple shirt opened his eyes to find himself in a dark, unfamiliar room.

Upon further inspection, he finally remembered where he was. Kazama Rin's room. His neighbour. The Girl Next Door. The realisation was a strange one, this... nostalgia. He pulled himself up from her bed and put a finger to his lip where he came in contact with something wet, only to realise it was blood. Another nosebleed. Guided by the moonlight, he wiped away only to realise the blood was black. Was this really the limit of the white round machine? Or merely a warning?

He glanced around the room; everything in it was an antique. Her room was a preserved, intact museum, highlighting the existence of a sixteen year old girl. Averting his gaze from the tangible memories aside, he looked down at the snoring lump of meat on the ground. She was on the floor, having wriggled out of her covers which was a thick, woolly knitted jumper with the letter 'R' from the English alphabet on the front – she was drooling over the cushion, clutching it tightly to herself and nibbling on one of the ends, whining and kicking around like a puppy the entire time. He got off her bed after observing her inquisitively for a few seconds, and stepped over her. She seemed comfortable on the floor but he gingerly picked her up and deposited her back to her bed before pulling the duvet over after settling her head on the pillow. She didn't wake up.

He took his jacket and shoes and put them back on, watching his moonlit, ghostly reflection in her mirror. He adjusted his tie and rolled his sleeves back down, then smoothed the creases on the lapels of his suit, ignoring the black blood on the front of his shirt. Once he was ready, he manoeuvred to the window and opened it as quietly as he could. After giving her another sideways glance over his shoulder, he slipped out.

He climbed down the side of her house with ease, and once he arrived at the quiet, empty street, he stepped off the sidewalk and under the light of a lamppost, inspecting quiet, peaceful Namimori. He looked at the two houses in front of him; one was larger than the other, covered by a large, elaborate stone-brick wall, while the other, smaller house was surrounded by a simpler-looking wooden fence. He walked away from the Kazama household, and towards the Hibari household.

Inside Hibari's house, he looked around the front garden, then entered the house, unlocking the door with his keys. He walked inside, but kept the lights closed, and moved upstairs. He stopped at a door, opened it. A part of him wanted to go back, but the consequences if he did were too much. The machine had been kind to him, not purloining him when he was still there in her presence. He had made an error in letting himself get too comfortable with her…. and he even fell asleep… a blunder that could not happen again.

With those thoughts in mind, he pulled out a sheet of paper from his jacket pocket. It said:

_Save Kazama Rin  
_–_Irie Shouichi_

Replacing the sheet into his pocket, he moved to the bed in the room and lay down, staring at the ceiling, waiting, bemusing himself with the events that happened today, and what would happen from now on.

He winced somewhat, as the room began to fade, mixing into a white background. He watched the clock. Listened to the relentless ticking which was gradually slowing down. His body felt pulled forwards, as his surroundings slowly became fainter, and fainter, like a disruption in a reflection in water, a ripple, before fading from a dark, dim room and into a collage of white. A circle. A black tube. Spotlights. And suddenly, everything stopped, grinding to halt.

When he re-opened his eyes, a brightly-lit white ceiling greeted him. The intense light poured into his field of vision and his pupils constricted immediately to prevent him from becoming blind.

"Kyou-san!"

He let his eyes slowly adjust, before getting up and off the white device he had been lying in, to stand in waist-deep water. The black blood from his purple shirt began to drift off and dissolve into the water, resembling murky ink. He let his eyes adjust to the intense light before looking up to see Kusakabe Tetsuya standing behind a switchboard.

"Kyou-san! You're bleeding!"

"It was just a small malfunction. A spillover between two realities." Hibari Kyouya reached the edge of the circular platform containing other white, bed-like devices surrounded by water, and pulled himself up and out. He dripped water, mingled with the blood, all over the shiny white marble floor. "Tetsu. What is the status report."

Kusakabe seemed somewhat reluctant. "…Hai, Kyou-san. Your 15 year old self's tolerance to forced time travel is… declining. When I was monitoring his vitals earlier on… they were weaker than before. Another visit may have serious consequences on you, and your past self."

Hibari said nothing but glanced over to the machine.

"Kyou-san, surely you're not thinking about that **ordeal**." Kusakabe squawked, "Irie-san's already given us an agenda. We're just to test out the machine…"

"No. That's where you're wrong. It has been alleged that Kazama Rin created a ring when she was only 16 years old," Hibari Kyouya replied, "…If that is the case, I need to find out why, and where it is now." **(1)**

* * *

The morning heat was starting to make its presence as soon as sunlight flooded into my room. Hm… I don't remember pulling back my curtains… I fanned myself as I slowly sat back, groaning. I did a stretch and a humongous dog-yawn (ears and lips pulling back at the same time) and glanced around, noticing that my window was open to a tiny extent. Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy was gone. A part of me was worried, but another part of me knew he would be just fine. I rubbed my eyes free of sleep and groaned. He must've left during the night… Hopefully, dad… or Hibari, didn't see him… I glanced down to my wounded shoulder, before realising it was starting to heal quickly. Hm, guess that medicine of Reborn's really did do the tick… Yawning again, I flopped back over my bed, trying to get back to sleep.

_Wait. _I sat back up._ Something's wrong. _

I rolled off my bed and onto the floor, then scrabbled back onto my feet and rushed to my desk… my MP3 player was gone…I pulled open my closet, realising the majority of my clothes were gone. I rummaged around my bookcase, noticing a few of my schoolbooks were gone… well, I guess I didn't really mind that being missing… regardless, a bead of sweat dripped down my temple and I ran out of my bedroom, looking left and right, before I made a frantic dash towards dad's room but then –

The bathroom door just had to conveniently open as I ran past and I collided into something hard. Seeing stars, my legs kicked and flailed as I stumbled but a pair of arms grabbed me and I slammed face-flat into a naked chest. I peeled my face back just in time; I had to reposition my nose back to its proper place. I looked up meekly into the stone-cold eyes of none other than Hibari. "Finally awake, herbivore?"

"HIEEE!" I shrieked in response, pushing off him and scrabbling back to the far end of the corridor (our house was too small. Even though I was at the far end, I was only about an arm-length's away from Hibari). "What are you doing in my house? And what's up with your kinky shirt? Button it up!"

Hibari frowned at me, before glancing down at his carmine shirt. He only had two buttons left unfastened but a section of his chest was exposed. My eye twitched somewhat. I had never seen Hibari wear such a kinky shirt before. Well, for a guy, it was kinda kinky. I guess Hibari must have had one of those moments when he wanted to feel confident and sexy, just like any other girl in some point in their pubescent lives. Bah, who was I to think such pointless things at a time like this? **(2)**

Hibari merely scrutinised me from head to toe; I flushed, remembering that I was still in my pyjamas and I hadn't even combed my hair or brushed my teeth…

Nevertheless, I pulled myself back up and brushed past him to dad's room and pounded my bundled fists against his door. "Dad, dad, dad! We've been robbed! And this time, I – " I paused, throwing a glance to Hibari who was still here for some unknown reason. I guessed having unexpected appearances of my next door neighbour would be an aspect of life I would have to get used to from now on. I whimpered out, "I'm not making it up!"

Dad emerged from his room and I stood back in stunned silence. He was in a suit and top hat with a briefcase clasped in one hand. He looked as if he stepped out of a train in the 1940's. Dad realised the incredulous look I was giving him and coughed into his fist uncomfortably.

"H-How do I look? I haven't worn a suit for such a long time…And I think I've put on weight…" He muttered, pulling and tugging at his pinstripe tie. His jacket was buttoned up neatly but the fabric seemed to be strained somewhat against the bulge of his (what I was thought before was non-existent) belly. It was strange; I've never seen him wear a suit because he always opts for comfortable gear like haramakis or dungarees or checkered, countryside shirts, but suddenly, he didn't look like Family Dad anymore, and actually more like Mafia Innocenti-Weapon-Making Dad.

I rebounded quickly back to my topic. "Dad, we've been robbed! Half of my stuff is missing!"

"...Oh, right, well, uh, your stuff's in Hibari-sama's guest room." He glanced down at his wristwatch. "Rin, it's one o'clock in the afternoon. And no matter how hard we tried, you just wouldn't wake up… so Hibari-sama and I moved some of your things ourselves to his house – "

"Wha - ? But...!"

"…I'm leaving Namimori with Reborn this afternoon. He has organised a safe place for me to stay, while… you know…"

I hesitated slightly. "Dad, you mean you're..." I said breathlessly, a smile growing, "I can do it! I'll make you so proud! Don't you worry, I'll defeat all those hitmen, and you can come back home safely and it'll be just like old times when – "

He cleared his throat, before gesturing towards Hibari, who was still standing near us. I quietened down immediately. Dad sighed forlornly, "…I've never left you alone for a long time in the house before, so I thought it would be a good idea if you moved in to live with Hibari-san for the time being. You'll be safe."

"I will?" I looked back and forth between Hibari and dad, "...Why can't I go live with Shouichi?" Actually, maybe that was a bad suggestion. If I did go live with my cousin, his sister'll drag me with her on her 8-hour long shopping escapades and she's a bit of a nag, too. I'll never get any rest. Then again, I'd rather suffer shopping trips of hell than live with Hibari...

"It's okay, Hibari-san has already agreed. I've told him everything."

"…Everything?"

At that point, dad began to sweat under my intense scrutiny.

"Yes. Your father has requested I take _good care_ of you in his absence." Hibari decided to add in, emphasising those particular words with a smirk as he leaned into me, "He has agreed to be forever be in my debt if I do so."

My eye twitched furiously as I went slightly cross-eyed to level his gaze, "Huh?" I turned to dad once more as he crossed his arms, nodding in agreement. I felt angry. Very angry. Why wasn't I consulted first? Why didn't anyone bother to tell me anything first? Why was I always the last to know? No… that didn't matter anymore. What was important was that this was happening because dad was being prosecuted. I wanted to explode, like a volcano, waiting to erupt. I squeezed my eyes shut and -

"Where the hell were you yesterday anyway?" I screamed at Hibari, "What happened to 'protecting the peace in Namimori' and all that stuff about discipline? I almost died yesterday, and my dad's been forced to leave town because there are bad people after us! You have time to chase me and my friends out of a baseball pitch but you disappear when it comes to the actual serious stuff! My dad placed all his trust in you and this is how you repay us? What the hell have you been doing?"

When I opened my eyes, Hibari's face was reddening to match the colour of his shirt. Uh-oh… Before I could run or scream, he grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and hoisted me in the air effortlessly with his arms. I flailed and screamed as he threw me. I went sailing, before landing down the stairs with a loud 'thump!' on the landing amongst dad's collection of multicoloured flip-flops. I struggled to get up but - _SNAP _– I looked down to see my arms and legs broken in strange angles and screamed and then –

"Herbivore, what are you thinking about now?"

"Huh?" I snapped out of my musings, before quickly glancing down at myself, and breathed a sigh of relief. Phew… thank god I was just daydreaming… I hadn't yelled at Hibari because obviously I hadn't the balls….and Hibari hadn't grabbed me and thrown me down the stairs and I didn't break my legs and arms…now that part _was _weird...I think yelling at Hibari would be a fate worse than death.

"Silly daughter!" Dad exclaimed at me in disapproval and I winced, "Get those unclean thoughts of Hibari-sama out of your head!"

"Wha - ? NO, I wasn't, I - "

As I spluttered and stammered to dad, I thought I could see a smirk appear on Hibari's face. Ultimately, I went bright red and turned away. "Well, now that you're awake…" Hibari said, looking at me from head to toe once more, "…Get the rest of your belongings. You're living with me from now on."

* * *

"Can I take this with me?"

"No."

I put down my CD player and picked up my lava lamp. "What about this?"

"No."

I put down my lava lamp and picked up my mirror. "This?"

"No."

I put down my mirror and picked up my hair straighteners, "How about this?"

"No."

I roared back in anger. Screw you, bitch! What the heck would you know about haircare?

"Why would you need such a useless device?"

"You've got perfect hair so you don't understand!"

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and dad peeped his head in. "What's with all the yelling?"

"Hibari-san's not letting me bring anything with me!"

"You don't need it, herbivore. You'll just be next door."

"…..Hmph. I'm still taking this with me anyway. And I'm taking these, too!" I reached over and grabbed my baseball bat and mitt from the side.

Dad looked to the half-full cardboard box with dodgy handwriting in black permanent marker that said 'Rin's Thingies' in the middle of my room. "Is that you done?" He asked, gesturing to the box, and I nodded, before squatting down to pick it up. I still couldn't believe I was going to live with Hibari from now on…even if it was for temporary…

I meekly followed dad and Hibari out of my room and back down the stairs, out of the house. It was already past lunch and Reborn would be here soon to pick him up. I had gotten changed from my pyjamas into a t-shirt, hooded top and shorts. I slipped on my red converses and my baseball cap and trailed towards Hibari's front gates - which were unlocked and for the first time in eight years, I stepped into his front yard. A traditional house greeted my sight upon entrance. I couldn't move, dumbstruck by the sight, until Hibari stormed past me.

"What's wrong?" He asked, "Is it too heavy for you?"

I bit my lip and shook my head. "I...I'm fine."

_Why are you being nice to me? It's because my dad's here, isn't it? Jerk._

Meanwhile, dad was busy marvelling at Hibari's rose bushes. "Amazing! How did you get them to grow into such a pretty colour…?"

Hibari stepped into his house. "Shoes off." He instructed, glancing at me over his shoulder.

I did as he requested and waddled after him barefoot. I saw a glimpse of his living room but didn't linger too long in awe as he was already quite far ahead. And his house wasn't _easy_, as in… it didn't have a simple layout like my house or ordinary people's homes… no, it had a few twisting, turning corners and corridors… I was scared I'd get lost, and being lost was one of the things that terrified me the most. When I was younger, I used to dislike being split up from dad in supermarkets in case I got lost and could never find him again and… okay, that's enough personal disclosure for now… Hibari led me upstairs and towards a room where I spotted a few of my belongings that were also in cardboard boxes.

I smiled widely as soon as I saw a familiar cuddly plushie sticking out amongst my possessions in the room. "Alright! Mr Pee-Wee made it!"

Pause.

Immediately, I shut my gob, and shakily turned to Hibari, who looked like he couldn't contain his amusement any longer. I blushed and mentally kicked myself at my lack of restraint.

"T-This is my room?" Awkwardly, I looked around myself; it was larger than my room back at home… in fact, it was almost the size of dad's room, and dad's room was the largest… why does he keep reminding me just how poor we really were? "…Um…Thanks."

Suddenly, the sound of a car pulling up outside drew me to look outside the window of my new room. A black car was parked outside our house. Without another thought, I ran out of the room and out of Hibari's house. Dad was already waiting on the sidewalk, and he sighed as soon as I stood in front of him, blinking numbly. He looked down at my bare feet. "Honestly, Rin. Put some shoes on or you'll hurt your toes."

I snivelled drearily. "…I don't care about my toesies." I sniffed again, cupping a hand over my nose as I began blubbering, "….You're going now? How long will you be gone for?"

"I don't know."

Two men in black suits and sunglasses with the same shaved-head haircuts got out of the car, shortly followed by Reborn. "Hello, Rin." He said, "Ready, Innocenti? I'll be coming with you."

Dad pulled on his hat and adjusted his tie, then nodded. "Very well, Reborn." His hand tightened around his suitcase, and he swiftly hurried towards the car. I stared at the two men, who gave dad a blunt nod, then gave me an equally blunt nod. As expected, dad returned their gestures with a quick, swift nod, so I did the same. It was a classic Nodding-dog syndrome here.

"Wait, can I talk to you in private, Rin? Leon has something for you." Reborn said. We retreated back towards my house and into the safety and privacy of my own lounge. Reborn reached behind him and pulled something out - a piece of soft, pea-green cloth that was folded up like a crepe. In my hands, it felt weighted and heavy. He said, "Open it."

I did as I was told, and slowly peeled the cloth open like a banana, revealing a large, kunai-like weapon that was the length of my fingertips to my elbow, but with three additional blades folded cleanly behind the first one. It was a shuriken, similar to the one Leon had turned into yesterday. "…For reals - ?" I spluttered out again. "It's so shiny!"

"Yes, _for reals_. Leon based it on designs available at the moment so this is the standard shape and size. It is only for a means of defense."

"Don't worry, I don't abuse authority, unlike someone I know." I said, thinking about Hibari. Hmm, thinking about Hibari, I hadn't seen him all day yesterday. Now that really was strange.

"Furthermore, you are to use it to protect yourself if I am not present." Reborn said, "Leon had it made so that it has four foldable blades. Unfortunately, a chain is not provided. You need to source that yourself."

"….Okay, that's no problem. Leon really made this? What did he made it out of?"

He shrugged. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what it was made out of, or how Leon made it anyway. I was also not quite sure what to say. But I lifted the lizard from Reborn's hat and kissed him lightly. Leon blinked back at me, then scurried off my hand and dashed behind Reborn's hat. I felt bad. Had I scared him? And I guessed this would be the first time I'd kissed a lizard. As if reading my mind, Reborn said, "He's just shy."

I let out a weak laugh. "… Thanks, Leon, thanks Reborn."

A knock on the front door made Reborn and I turn back round. "Ah, that'll be us off then." He said, and I left the shuriken in our house for the moment, before following Reborn towards the black car.

Dad was still there, and he gave me a tight hug before letting go after a few seconds. "…Be careful, Rin. And remember, you're allergic to nuts. Don't eat too many junk food, you get hyper and it last for days and then you get hangovers. Don't open the door to strangers, work hard in school, listen to Hibari-sama, and if you get stuck on homework, ask a teacher, and - "

"Dad!"

He blinked, then looked down at his shoes, and sighed. "…I'm so worried, Rin. I've never left you on your own for a long time. I...Oh, god what am I doing? YOUNG LADY, YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"

"Dad, I'll be fine, honest. Besides, Reborn will look after me."

Dad looked upset. His face fell, his lips drooped down miserably, and his eyes began tearing up. "Oh...I...I guess no matter what I say, I can't change your mind..."

"Aww, dad."

"B-Before I forget… Here, I have something for you." Dad reached into his bag and pulled out a large, clear plastic package.

Gawping as he handed it to me, I clutched the packet limply in my hand. "What's this?"

He sounded awkward. "It's a dress. I… realised I'd never gotten you anything that was… well, uh, for girls. So, I got this from a site on the internet. The internet is fantastic, Rin. You can buy all sorts of stuff and manage your account online and watch videos and – "

I coughed into my fist. "Yes, dad, I… Thanks, but…"

"Yes, yes, I know. You don't like to wear dresses. But… it's going to be the **Annual Spring Dance** at your school soon. A week from today, right?"

I rolled my eyes in response. "Urgh, don't remind me."

"You should wear it."

I shook my head. "Dad, I'm not going to go. Dances aren't really my…my, er, thing." Then I stopped trying to smile and looked down, clutching at my arm tightly. "… Besides… No-one's going to ask me." I murmured quietly.

Dad blinked. "That's nonsense! Who wouldn't ask you? There's nothing wrong with you."

"Yes, there is. I'm ugly and I have bad habits and I'm annoying and loud and… well, I'm not like the girls in my class." There was a slight silence. I guess this would be the first time dad was hearing this.

"Rin, don't ever say that about yourself! I… I didn't realise you thought of yourself that way. If only your mother was here… She wouldn't have deprived you of some things like I have. You know, like make-up, and perfume, and… I dunno, nail polish, boys, fashion. There are many things only a mother can do for her daughter, and not the father. I had to admit, there were some moments I forgot you were a girl."

"D-Don't say that, dad. I-I don't mind that I can't…uh… you know… I'm not really into make-up or any of that stuff yet… I don't mind, honest! You've done so much for me." I held the dress to myself. "Thanks, dad, I'll… I'll go to the dance. I'll try and find a date, and I'll wear the dress."

"'Atta girl! Ask Hibari-sama. I'm sure he'll go with you to the dance."

"Ew. That's like going out with the nerdiest boy in class."

"Don't be like that. He really is a good guy." Before I could gag, he protruded out a small photo-frame. "…Also…your mother sent me this a long time ago. It's a picture of her and Kazuya - I don't know how old he is in this picture, maybe 6? 7? It's all I have… I guessed she wasn't going to keep us in the dark after all."

I glanced away from dad and to the picture frame as he handed it to me. The woman was rather young, but stern and morose, with her hair styled into an old-fashioned bun, loose strands of hair framing her sharp face. _My…mother? Really?_ The boy in the picture was… well…he looked equally as miserable as she did… He was in a blazer and tie… a school portrait, maybe? He was neat, with carefully-combed black hair and muddy-brown eyes; he wasn't smiling at the camera, nor was he scowling. And I thought I was traditional…

"There was no return address." Dad suddenly looked away from me, and I turned to follow his gaze, just to see Hibari emerging from his gates.

"You're leaving now, Taizo?"

He nodded in response. "Take care, Hibari-sama." He turned to me, and placed both hands on my shoulders as I clutched the photo and dress. "Goodbye, Rin. This is my last request of you… Whatever happens, I want you to live peacefully with Hibari-sama from now on. Work hard and do well in school. I know you can do it. And promise me you'll go to the dance. Even if you don't have a date. Have fun."

"But what about the hitmen – "

"Never mind them. Reborn told me he'll make sure they won't interfere with your life. Don't let them get to you. So, promise me, okay?"

Nodding, I closed my eyes shut tightly and wailed. "…I'll go to the dance." It took me quite a bit to get that out, as dad made his way to the car, escorted by the two men. One of the men opened the car door for dad whilst the other went into the driving seat; Reborn followed suit, slipping into the passenger seat. "Y-You better come back in one piece!" I yelled, as dad got in the car beside Reborn; he smiled reassuringly back at me.

Dad grinned back at me and a sheepish grin spread over me as dad got in, and the car pulled out from our lot. I don't really know why, but I stepped forwards, as if wanting to follow the car as it drove down the road.

"Herbivore," an impatient voice interrupted beside me, and I turned round to Hibari. He was still here? The car was leaving; it was disappearing from my sight more and more, and I turned to Hibari exasperatedly, then to the car, and back to Hibari. We found ourselves standing side by side watching the car leave the neighbourhood block. As soon as the car left, Hibari made his way back into his estate. "Get in here, herbivore." He barked, holding open one of the gates, "Or I'll lock you out."

I tore my eyes away from the empty horizon. I wiped at my eyes quickly, hoping Hibari hadn't seen. "...Okay, wait up." I sidled inside, watching him close the gates, wincing as the metal emitted a groaning 'creeaaaak' and a rather ear-splitting, but low, grinding sound as the gates slammed together. Almost like… prison.

Suddenly, I was grabbed and my back was slammed against the brick wall; I let out a squeak. "Ah! What are you - " I stopped halfway in my sentence when he leaned into me. It was strange I was more scared of Hibari than a bunch of hitmen who were out there looking for me. Also, I got a very nice view of Hibari's exposed torso once again...Damn that kinky shirt.

Hibari stared at me intently from head to toe, before pulling off my baseball cap and tossing it to the side. "...Herbivore..." That was weird. It almost sounded like a purr. He said, gazing at me with half-lidded eyes, there was a slight pause. He realised that I wasn't looking at him, but at his chest. He cleared his throat.

"H-Huh? Oh, s-sorry." I tore my eyes away and up to him.

"Do you know what this means?" He said, while buttoning up his shirt.

I felt nothing personal as he did so, and shook my head. "Um. What does this mean?"

He grabbed my chin with his other hand so I was facing him, before he began to physically push me back further against the wall, forcing my knees apart in progress. In the midst of shock, Kazuya's portrait and the dress dropped out of my hand. I tried to reach a hand to slip out and pick them back up but Hibari grabbed my wrist and pinned it to the side of my head, and I shrunk away, turning my head to the side as his lips stopped millimetres by my ear.

"You're in my territory now," He murmured tentatively. "If you defy my rules... I'll _punish_ you."

"Uh...Punish me?"

"Do you understand, herbivore?"

I glanced to the side and back, before giving him a quick, brief nod. "Uh-huh."

"Good." He let go of me and turned away, retreating back into his house, while I stared at him with my jaw hanging open. What the heck was all that about? I swallowed down, then quickly bent down to pick up my baseball cap, the photo, and the dress that was on the ground.

...Now that dad's gone, Hibari seems a little different...

* * *

**(1) **I hope that part didn't make Rin even more of a Mary Sue. I thought some of Innocenti's traits should be passed down to her.

**(2) **Hibari's kinky shirt... it's the reddish-orange shirt he wore in a character popularity poll picture in manga chapter 306 or 307, I think xD


	14. Horndog meets her Match

_**Author's Note:**_

Thank you **Lilth Vaan**, **SeXySqUcHaN**, **Raven T** for their suggestions on how to get rid of my writer's block; I'm so glad you guys like this story so much even though I've got bad grammar and I abuse the dictionary in almost every chapter. **Raven T **and **kimkakashi **asked a few questions, but this will apply to everyone reading this fic, so here goes...As this story is set at the dawn of the Millefiore war, TYL!Hibari returned to the Underground base. The white machine works like the 10 Year Bazooka, only it is 'fired' by the 'user' in the future. Everytime you see TYL!Hibari (or in this case, 'Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy' as Rin calls him), he has swapped places with 15 year old Hibari.

Again, a big thank you to everyone; you are WONDERFUL! You deserve cookies :)

WARNINGS: Super-mean Committee!

**Chapter 14**

_The Horndog Meets her Match  
__(aka Rin-chan Runs Away from Home)_

"…Ever since Haku-sama put you in charge…" Evie pouted, leaving her sentence trailing.

"What? What is it?"

"…you don't really do much except eat and sleep."

"Tch! Who are you to judge me?" He grunted back at her, "What do you want anyway?"

"Phonecall." Evie stood in the doorway with the cellphone in her tiny hand. "It's Haku-sama."

In response, Rai placed down his Sudoku book and tucked the pencil behind his ear. His room smelled like cigarettes and strong alcohol; the Japanese heat only made the stench even worse, and Evie tried her hardest not to gasp out for clean air even though her eyes were watering to some extent. A percussion set in the corner, unused, gathering up dust. Rai plucked the phone out of Evie's hand; she excused herself and waddled out of the room and back up down the corridor where a screaming Yura could be heard. Rai closed the door behind him before moving back to sprawl over his previous spot on the sofa.

"The Weapon Master has left Japan." said the voice on the other end of the line.

Rai sat up immediately, his sunglasses falling askew off his nose. "Hunh?" came his mildly astonished reply.

"I told you to keep watch."

He looked down, seemingly disgruntled, "…Damn it. He escaped? Really? But it's only been a day."

"Yes. But it doesn't matter."

"What do you mean?"

"It's not the father we want anymore, it's the daughter."

"Ah, so she'll tell us where he is. Okay, then, we'll just get the girl." He said, balancing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he reached for his Sudoku book. Hmm. He was at his last panel. Was it a 4, or was it a 2? Decisions, decisions…

"No." Haku said, "You are to withdraw from this mission. When it comes to targets who are female - "

Rai's eyebrow twitched a little and he looked away from the puzzle. "What? Are you telling me you think I'll, like, what? _Fall in love with her_? That's just ridiculous. She's a LITTLE GIRL!" He exclaimed in disbelief, before muttering and mumbling angrily under his breath. "...I'll get her, Haku, I'll get her for you."

**Meanwhile…**

Hibari didn't help me in sorting things in my new room, which I was eternally grateful for as I didn't want him to go through my things, especially my...err... '_Panties Box_' (I'm sure dad did that, not me. I didn't realise he was this bold). After that ordeal in the front lawn, which had me plucking grass out of the innards of my baseball cap before thinking twice if I wanted to replace it back over my head, I retired to my room to be left alone to think about, well… how alone I was. Dad was gone. No doubt about it. Kazuya's school picture along with the needle-thin woman with the stern face and brawny jaw in the background who was meant to be my mother didn't really make me feel better, no.

I sighed and popped another fruity wine gum into my mouth – previously, I found a half-opened packet of Bubbaloo chewy edible fruit gummies in my pocket but I didn't know how long it'd been in there for but it looks okay to eat, if not, a bit fluffy but that's just because of pocket lint which I brushed away, so I just thought I'd comfort-eat while I cleaned up. I took another out but -

"Oops."

I glanced down at the fruit gum I'd accidentally dropped on the floor and sighed again. Hm. What now? It's a really tasty flavour… My favourite, actually. I looked at the packet in my hand, then pulled out the rest of the multicoloured fruity wine gums. There's no more strawberry left - just lemon and lime, just those two flavours… Man, why does this always happen to me? My lip wobbled as I looked at the one that I dropped on the floor. It's the last strawberry one… It'd be a bit of a waste not to eat it…

Dad's voice swam into my mind as I recalled one particular dinner when I refused to eat my broccoli (I think I was nine years old), and dad's voice was saying: "Rin, there are millions of starving kids in Africa. Be grateful for what's put in your plate'.

I looked around left and right, and then back down to the fruit gum, thinking about all the starving children in Africa. My lip trembled.

…_Should I really eat it off the floor?_

Well, it should be clean. Hibari's floor looks clean. And the more I have a pointless monologue with myself about this, the more dirt the gummy fruit on the floor will accumulate… Okay, I better do this quick… I bent down and picked it up, blowing away at the reddish-pink gum and I brushed away the bottom with my fingertips. I grinned as soon as I finished cleaning it, and then, as I popped it into my mouth, the door opened.

I swerved my eyes up to see Hibari, the wine gum in my mouth.

There was a slight silence.

"Did you just eat that off the floor?"

Immediately, my face went bright red, and I stood back up quickly. "I…Uh…erm…" I spat the gum back out into the cup of my palm and placed my hands behind my back. "…No?" Pause. "Hibari-san! There are starving children in Africa – "

"I didn't realise you were a bottom feeder, herbivore."

Urk! I cringed and hung my head low in shame…I should've just left the gum on the floor. How embarrassing...I hope he doesn't call me a Bottom Feeder from now on or anything.

Why did Hibari come here anyway? He had been downstairs doing god-knows-what and now he suddenly comes upstairs?

So I said 'What do you want?' but in this extremely _p-o-l-i-t-e_ way, and then he said 'That's none of your business, herbivore' before flipping open this brick-like cellphone that looked like it could cause brain cell damage and began barking to someone, presumably Kusakabe. He paced up and down the tiny floorspace, occasionally stepping on some of my things like my CDs and my books and my notepads and my stationery which I had to tug and pull them out from underneath his dirty bare toes or jab at his ankles repeatedly just to get his attention.

There's a strange tension between me and Hibari, too. I'm going to be cliché and say it's as thick as pea-soup. I don't know what kind of tension it is (if there are different kinds of tension…) but I didn't like it one bit.

As Hibari remarked earlier, I was now on his territory and anything I did which he didn't like was punishable. I didn't really want to find out what he meant by that so I just kept to myself as I realised Hibari had always thought of me as quite the suspicious individual. That's not right. I'm totally not… well, suspicious. How was I suspicious? Did I look sleazy? No, I didn't think so…

He stopped by my new chair before sitting down, then began yapping about some bathroom smoker and how much he was going to bite the insolent slug. When I looked up, I realised he had been watching me the entire time and I felt spine tingles all over and turned away to continue on with my own endeavours.

My new room – it's got eggshell white walls and a few cracks here and there in the panelling, but it is nice and spacious. It faces the main street, which was good, since I'd grown tired of staring at Hibari's window. I've always wanted a good view of the sky and the other houses. I sighed as I finished clearing my third box; my new room had a single bed and a desk and stool (the one Hibari was sitting on), and a closet. But it looked like it hadn't been cleaned out for a long time, and it looked like it might harbour tonnes of spiders and all sorts of creepy crawlies inside. I was a bit scared to go near it, actually.

Hibari suddenly hung up. There was another silence. How awkward could it possibly get? Should I say something? Like what?

"Herbivore – "

_Just say anything.  
Anything._

"Turkey platter!" I yelled out.

There was another silence following my outburst.

"…Where's your maid costume?"

"…H-Huh?"

"I said, where's your maid costume." He repeated as he got up and moved towards a box of my clothes, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise on end. "You haven't been to work for some time. Have they dismissed you?"

"That's none of your business! And stop going through my clothes." I barked at him, shaking a clenched fist at him as he poked and prodded and rifled through my clothes with the tip of his tonfa. I pulled my clothes box back towards me and nervously bit my lip as I contemplated Hibari's words. Had they fired me without telling me?

His attention diverted to the plastic package dad had given me before he left that was lying near him, and he picked it up, before realising it was a dress. I hadn't a proper look at it before. "For the Spring Dance, herbivore?" He said.

"…Yeah." I mumbled back sheepishly, recalling dad's words. He wanted me to go. And he wanted me to find a date. I said I promised I'd wear it, so that meant I had to go. And then, dad suggested I ask Hibari. I shivered a little, and then glanced up at Hibari as he continued staring at it. "…Um…Are you going to go?"

"The Committee will be monitoring the dance." He handed me back the dress.

"Monitoring?"

"Security. Patrolling. Making sure no mischievous herbivores bring any contraband with them."

_Contraband? Like what?_ "It's just a dance." I pointed out as I opened the packet and a thick, rich, wine-red fabric spilled out. It wasn't an elaborate evening or prom dress, but rather a dress for minimal wear, for parties, a formal dinner, maybe. It had two straps, and the length of the dress stopped above my knees and I gawked at it somewhat. So not my style!

"…What is this anyway…?" I still had the stupidity to say that out as I held the (_OBVIOUSLY IT'S A)_ dress, up.

"It's a dress."

"I know that!"

"Put it on."

I blinked and turned to Hibari as a fierce blush spread over my cheeks at his suggestion. "...W…Why should I put it on? Give me a good reason to put it on and then I'll put it on." I said, and suddenly, the doorbell sounded off. "…Who's that?"

Hibari turned away from me. "Stay upstairs. If you come down, I'll bite you to death." He retreated back downstairs immediately, and I heard the front gate re-open. Hm? What was this? Someone's arrived at Hibari's house… No, wait, I heard the sound of multiple footsteps shuffling inside and the unbearable stench of sweaty armpits engulfed Hibari's strangely unique odour-less house.

Being my nosy self again, I slipped out of the room and peered over the banister where I could see five to six strangers loitering in the front hall with Hibari by the door. "Hm. You're all early." said Hibari, and I winced and sighed. The visitor… or in this case, visitors, were the Committee. That's pretty typical… Hibari was the Head Prefect, after all. I guessed they were having a meeting today.

"Huh? You have a visitor, Hibari-san?" It was Kusakabe's voice. I supposed Kusakabe had seen my shoes in the front hall.

Immediately, there was a hubbub of voices.

"A visitor?"

"Who is it?"

And Hibari then replied, "Kazama."

"Eh?" came more befuddled replies, "Kazama…As in, Kazama Rin?"

"Yes. She will be staying with me for temporary."

"…Uh…Why?"

"No-one else will have her?" said a random voice. Next, came a flurry of sniggers and jeers from the Committee members. I cringed and my clenched fist shook slightly. "Well, where is she now?"

"Upstairs." replied Hibari.

"You think she can hear us?"

Before long, I then heard Kusakabe utter out, "Hm? What's that, Hibari-sama? Is that…"

"It's the herbivore's."

I looked up, realising I'd accidentally left behind Kazuya's portrait back downstairs. I mentally cursed and glanced over the banister again, wondering if I should go down or not to get it. Maybe I shouldn't… I'm a little intimidated, and it'll be awkward.

"Is that supposed to be her mother and brother or something?"

"K-Kazama Rin has a brother?" came a few shocked responses. I didn't realise how much these Prefects loved gossip. What a bunch of old ladies, sheesh.

"I thought her mother abandoned her when she was little?"

Ouch. That kinda hurt. I didn't realise the rumours that were circulating around about my family. Namimori was quite a close knit community, after all. Everybody here knew their neighbours and all their dirty little secrets. And I wasn't...grr... I wasn't _abandoned_, you bitches!

"Is that even a real photo?" said a voice. Then, I could hear something going 'click click click' only to realise they'd taken the picture out of the frame. Hey, hands off, bub!

"So, she's living with you now, Hibari-sama? Guess her father's abandoned her, too."

And Hibari said, "Her father left her behind this morning. He said he doesn't know when he'll come back."

Another voice I didn't recognise entered the atmosphere: "Ohhhh, so she's this year's charity case, huh, Hibari-sama?"

More sniggers followed. I sat back in spot, wondering if Hibari really had said those words. When I heard the Committee enter the living room, I stood back up, deciding I'd heard enough. I glanced down at dad's dress that was still in hand and frowned, then trudged back into my room and placed it over the mattress, before storming back out and down the stairs. I arrived at the lounge to face a group of casually-dressed Prefects in the lounge, surprisingly with no Elvis Presley hair... Maybe it was because it was the weekend so they didn't bother doing their hair up; because of that, I didn't recognise any of them. And Hibari and Kusakabe were missing. They must've gone into the kitchen or something.

I was right; they'd taken the photo out of its frame, an gotten their grubby fingers all over the photo. I turned to the Prefect who was holding Kazuya's portrait and held my hand out. "Can you give that back? It's really important to me."

The Prefect was some lame kid from a year below me with acne all over his ugly, putrid face, who was also a lot taller than me. "Oh, you want this, right? Say 'Please'."

My fist shook. But...TOLERATE! I'm in Hibari's territory now… "Please." I said through gritted teeth.

"What was that? I can't hear you!"

"…flrlgkrllffrr…" I grumbled under my breath. What that meant, I had no idea. All I knew was that I was mighty pissed. "Can I have that back - _Please._"

"Hmm. Okay then, try and take it from me." He lifted his arm up high in the air and I frowned, my fists at my side curling so tightly my knuckles went slightly white.

"Give it back." I said, having to get up on tiptoe with my arm outstretched just to reach it. My fingertips barely touched a corner.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Prefects sat back and watched. "Dude. Just give it back to her."

But he didn't listen and I finally managed to grab a corner of the photo and felt a little relief until the Prefect decided to pull his arm back further and so I had to lean forwards just to get a better reach. I didn't like our close proximity but I was determined to get my photo back. Then he yelled, "Get off me!" Before he gave me this mighty shove that I fell backwards, but I was still holding onto the photo at the same time just as I toppled over so…

**_RIP._**

The Prefect blinked back blankly at me, then hastily handed me back the photo by tossing it carelessly onto the floor. "T-That wasn't my fault." He quickly said.

I stared wide-eyed at the photo. The photo was…it was…it-it was….there was a big tear; Kazuya's face was barely distinguishable, just a mess of crumpled laminated card from the commotion.

Just then, Kusakabe and Hibari re-entered the lounge each with a multipack of soda in hand just to see me pick up my photo off the ground. As amusing as I would've thought it would be seeing Hibari holding a pack of soda, I was too absorbed with the ripped photo to notice. Hibari stared at me, then switched his gaze to the Prefect who wouldn't give me back the photo. Said Prefect immediately began to sweat, then reached down and grabbed me and lifted me back onto my feet.

"I didn't mean to! I was just kidding – aw, c'mon! You know I was joking around with you, right, Kazama?" He nudged me with his elbow.

Hibari narrowed his eyes at him and stepped forwards. And the Prefect hopped back a few paces in fright – but to my astonishment, Hibari didn't say anything to him. He turned to me instead; I clutched Kazuya's ripped photo to myself tightly as if it would offer me some kind of protection.

"Put that away." Hibari said, before he grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me close to him. Suddenly coming face to face with Hibari made the heat rise to my cheeks unwillingly, and I shrunk under him as his lips stopped by my ear. Argh. Twice in one day. And this time, there were people watching. How embarrassing_…_ "…I thought I made it clear when I told you that if you defied my rules, you'll be bitten to death."

"…I just came down to get my photo." I said, gesturing to the ripped photograph.

Hibari looked away from the picture in my hand. He grunted, before he shoved the multipack of soda into my arms. He seemed to have second thoughts now. "Then hand one each to everyone. You're our slave for today's meeting."

As I fell out of my position in shock, the rest of the Committee sniggered. "SLAVE?"

"Since you're living here you might as well be useful for a change. Now get a move on."

I stared down at the multipack in hand before frowning. Since when did living here make me Hibari's bitch? AW HELL NO. And with that - "**_No_**." I said, before I belted out a loud, frustrated Incredible Hulk-like ROAR and I lifted the soda pack above my head and threw it against the wall and –

No, not really.

I sort of dropped the pack on the ground and gave it a little kick to the side because I didn't want the cans to break and spill juice everywhere. It'd be a bit of a waste and I might end up having to mop it up. Hibari glared at me as I stood my ground, glowering back at him with equal venom burning in my eyes.

"What was that, herbivore?"

"No."

The rest of the Prefects stared at me with widened eyes. Hibari was unamused as we stared each other down; Kusakabe was beside Hibari, looking somewhat uncomfortable. My legs couldn't stop trembling. Oh my god. _What on earth was I doing?_

"You _dare_ to say that again?" Hibari said, with an eyebrow raised up so high he looked...well, a little strange.

"I dare, and I said NO."

Hibari suddenly marched forwards, and he grabbed my wrist. Before I could protest, he dragged me out of the lounge and into the kitchen, before turning to the rest of his Committee and with a "_Please excuse me for a moment. There is a certain herbivore that has to be punished_." – he slammed the door behind him, shutting himself, and me, inside the kitchen.

Uh oh.

Hibari turned round to face me and I felt the hair on the back of my neck rise on end. "Feeling brave today, Kazama?" He growled, "…You're really testing my patience. You must've enjoyed that little act you pulled back there. How dare you disrespect me in front of my Committee." In a split second, his tone dropped to a threatening snarl, "I warned you, you impudent herbivore. You're in _my _territory now."

I think I've been through quite a lot this week so I supposed nothing this guy came up with would really come as a surprise anymore. "I'm not afraid of you anymore. Bring it." I growled out, while rolling up my sleeves. _YEAH! Bring it on, bitch, let's see what'chu got!_

This is like waving a red flag in front of his face. He'll just come charging full throttle. But he raised an eyebrow in response, then slowly, he stood back up straight, eyeing me warily before his eyes narrowed acutely into slits. As I mentally prepared myself for the Beating-Up of the Century, he began stalking towards me, and at first, I was determined to stay put yet I found myself slowly shuffling backwards, until my back touched the fridge.

I began to wonder what I was really doing here. Maybe Hibari was right. Since I would be living in his house, obviously he had rules and I should respect them and listen, and to be honest... Hibari allowing me to live here and even giving me a room to stay in (for free, I assume), is actually rather generous of him; I mean, not everyone I know would do that for me (damn it, dad), so...I supposed, the least I could do was agree to help Hibari out with the meeting. Maybe I should've just brushed off the word 'slave' as his improper use of words to address the current situation...

...or maybe not.

_It's a bit too late to apologise now! _And me, being my rather stubborn self, refused to back down. Not now anyway.

He stopped shortly in front of me, just a few centimetres away, and just like what happened back in the front lawn, the closeness had our noses almost touching. At first, he subjected me to another one of his head-to-toe, scrutinising, elongated stares, and I swallowed down and tried to eye him back in return, but then –

My eyes widened as soon as I felt something cool on my leg. I stared down, at the hand on my leg.

"Eek! You – " I stopped mid-way, trying to struggle out of his grasp, but he held me down, pinning me against the fridge with one hand, the other still on my leg. "W-W-What are you doing?(!)"

"What's wrong, herbivore?" He murmured, as his hand slid further up my thigh. "I thought you said you weren't scared of me anymore."

I froze up all over on my spot, still with my back pressed rigidly against the fridge. He let his fingertips brush over my thigh, caressing in hypnotising strokes. I could not seem to blink or breathe for all that mattered. All I could muster out was an estranged, guttural croak from the back of my throat as Hibari languidly flicked his gaze up to me, as if searching my empty eyes for a response. The hand on my leg went up and up, under the rims of my shorts - and my eye twitched furiously; I finally regained my senses and I realised what was going on and I immediately tried to shove his hand away.

"S-Stop that - !" I stammered out; my words were slurred, incoherent, perhaps even inaudible, and my face heated up like crazy. I didn't realise Hibari was like…was…was like…well, THIS(!).

Suddenly, the door opened and Hibari pulled back immediately, turning round.

It was Kusakabe. "…Uh…We heard some weird - erm…never mind…Is everything alright, Hibari-sama?" He asked, giving me a sideways glance before noticing how red my face was. My knees had given way and I had slumped on the floor. "Kazama-san, are you okay?"

I merely blinked back at him wide-eyed, and Hibari glanced away from me while readjusting his shirt. "She's fine." He said, smirking, as I glared at him bitterly with my hands covering myself. Sniff... I felt undeniably violated...

_YOU BITCH! I take it back! I take every possible good thing I thought about you BACK!_

And Kusakabe turned to me expectantly. "Kazama-san?"

"Y-Yes, I-I-I'm f-fine." I croaked out, while wiping at my wet, damp eyes. I took this opportunity to, I dunno, RUN! And I quickly peeled myself off the fridge before scrabbling back up, having to hold onto the kitchen cupboard handle to get up properly. I excused myself with an incomprehensible grunt and promptly made a frantic dash towards the hall. I rushed up the stairs and into my bedroom, slamming the door shut behind me before falling against the door in fright, panting heavily.

…_What the hell was that all about?_

Urgh. I felt so dirty everywhere. My skin was tingling… I shivered all over and quickly pulled out my clothes box, ripping off my shorts to pull on a pair of trousers dad picked for me in one of the sales last year…. It was an incredibly old design; brown and checkered… something your granny would wear. Oh well, like all granny clothes (no offense to all grannies), it offered comfort and covered a lot of flesh. I looked down at myself and wondered what else I should change out of. My t-shirt! I didn't notice it before, but it's got a pretty wide collar… If I wasn't careful, I might lean over and then everyone could see… Ack! I took off my t-shirt and tried looking for something with a tighter, round collar but could only find a mouldy, moth-bitten shirt which I hadn't worn for donkey years and put that on. It was itchy, but I felt a bit safer. I stared at myself in the mirror, marvelling at how incredible geeky and lame and 1980's I looked at the precise moment.

_… Who am I kidding? I can't stay here!_

Hibari's keys were left lying on top of the Namimori Yellow Pages on the coffee table near the door so I grabbed them without a second thought, without even thinking if they could've heard me trampling down the stairs in a panic before rushing out of the door. It was lucky Hibari's keys only consisted of two keys – so I knew one of them was for the door, and one was for the gate. Once I arrived at the gate, I unlocked it and took off running down the street, running towards freedom.

But… where would I go?

I couldn't go home. Hibari would just take two steps over and he'd be at my front door! What about Takeshi's restaurant? I whipped out my phone and speed-dialled Yamamoto's phone only to come up with the automated voice, telling me to leave a message after the beep. I groaned in frustration. I supposed that left Shouichi's house. I'm sure he would be at home; his sister definitely would be. I hastily made my way towards the direction of Shouichi's house, despite knowing that it was a ten minute bus journey away.

I wanted to go home.  
I wanted dad to come back.  
I wanted –

"Ow!"

I had slammed into somebody by accident. I stumbled backwards but a hand caught me. "Sorry…" I mumbled out as i looked back up, and then my jaw subsequently dropped. "D-DAD?"

Indeed it was.

But he wasn't wearing a suit. He was in a t-shirt, his haramaki, and his worn-out working pants and sandals. "Rin!" He exclaimed, grabbing my shoulders before enveloping me into a tight hug.

I struggled to breathe for a moment, and suddenly, my nose was attacked with the strange smell of… cigarettes… that was weird. I didn't know dad smoked. "Dad…? What…What are you doing here?" I choked out, as soon as he let go. I looked up and around and behind him. Where was Reborn? He was nowhere to be seen.

"I'm sorry, Rin, I don't know what I was thinking, leaving you alone in Namimori like that. I just couldn't put myself through that, so I came back."

"…B-But you said…you said – "

"Never mind what I said!" He barked, and I winced slightly as he grabbed my wrist and began dragging me along the street, "You're coming with me! The hitmen won't find us, not where we're going!"

"Where are we going?"

He turned to me then, smiling, and _FWIP_ - Dad's chocolate brown eyes turned….._Blue_…? I paled slightly as he steered me towards a dark and empty alleyway.

"Dad, why are we - " But then a hard blow landed on the back of my neck, and dazedly, I swayed on the sidewalk; just before I fell, dad caught me in his arms. "…D-Dad…?" I whimpered out, as my eyes began closing. "W…Why did you…"

"…It's okay, Rin," He said, smirking at me, "Why don't you just rest? Everything will be just fine…"

I was slowly lowered onto the ground and dragged into the darkness, having been grabbed by under the arms. Before I blacked out, all I could see was my limp feet in front of me and the opening of the alleyway becoming smaller and smaller…

* * *

This chapter was brought to you by Raven T who suggested Rin being kidnapped! And that wasn't Rin's dad. Guess what ringbox attribute this hitman is? ;)

**Pictures!**

Rin's design was done by **_MochaLuLu_**_._ She offered to draw a picture of Rin so I PM-ed her with Rin's details based on the story. Check it out :D

http:/chocolate-mayo(dot)deviantart(dot)com/art/GiftArt-Rin-192109937

* * *

None of my pictures are KHR-like D: I got a tablet for Christmas and was messing around with it. I hope you can read my handwriting. I've been complained before by my mom so I know it's fugly as heck. I made a deviant art account (URL below or go to my homepage):

http:/kikostar(dot)deviantart(dot)com/

Anyone who wishes to draw Rin or any other character is welcome! :3


	15. The Shapeshifter, Part I

I wasn't sure if this chapter should be funny or serious, so it's a bit of both.

**Chapter 15**

_The Shapeshifter, Part I_

When I came to my senses, dad was standing in front of me.

"Hi."

"HIEEE!" I jerked upright, before realising that I was tied to a chair. "What the - ?" I shrieked, trying to tug and pull my arms and legs free, only to realise I was held down by ropes over my wrists, ankles, chest and waist. I flailed and struggled in the chair – which turned out to be those typical, mahogany-coloured matchstick ones with thin legs, but I didn't accomplish much in my effort to break free except from the chair being tipped over and I crashed to the floor, blinking stupidly at myself.

He sighed when my lip wobbled and I began to snivel. "Calm down, little girl. I'm not gonna hurt you." said 'Dad', lifting the chair back up effortlessly, so I was sitting in front of him again.

Who is this guy? Why does he look exactly like dad? Does dad have an evil twin brother I had no knowledge about? Help! Someone… Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy, where are you? Help me! _Where am I anyway?_ I was in a large, dark place with a single, dim lightbulb hanging in the middle above me. A basement? These are the kind of places where they torture people and string them up and lash them with whips over and over again. Oh no!

He reached over to a small table beside us and kept his back to me, humming nonchalantly under his breath. OH GOD, what kind of torture weapons was he planning to use to interrogate me with? A few moments later, he returned with something in his hand and I felt my entire well-being tingle with fear all over. When he returned under the light, I almost screamed as he lifted his arm, causing this gigantic shadow to cast over my tiny, cowering, terrified form and I braced myself for the worst until I realised it was…

….a pizza slice.

He bit off at the pointed end. "Want some?" He asked, chewing noisily as he nudged the slice towards my face.

At first, I thought he might pizza me to death (whatever that meant… Death by pizza, I suppose?), but once I realised he was genuinely asking me if I wanted some or not, I merely stared at him, before my tense, tight shoulders slumped. _Anti-climatic, much? No, never mind! _

"Don't worry, I said before I'm not going to hurt you." He said, taking another big bite out of the pizza. "I don't want to starve you to death or anything. You're no use to us if you're dead."

I responded with another blank stare.

"Why aren't you talking? Are you scared?"

I rewarded him with another bleak stare. He let out a sigh and put down the pizza back in the box, then dragged a chair out from the side (that looked like the one I was tied to), and sat down, resting his arms on the back of the chair.

"You know," He began, "You can't blame us. At first, we asked_** real**_ nicely. But your father refused, so it's only normal we took matters into our own hands. And then what happens? The old coot sneaks off and leaves behind his daughter for us to deal with. I mean, what kind of father does that?"

Even though he was saying this stuff about my dad, I didn't think it really was wise to say anything to someone who could rear his ugly side and kill at me at any moment so I remained quiet.

"Come on, why won't you say anything?" He whined, "Just say something. _Anything._ I don't mind; I promise I won't harm you, honest."

...

...

"…..Don't say bad things about my dad." I eventually croaked out.

He seemed mildly surprised.

"He doesn't like it there. He had a good reason to leave the Society and - " I was interrupted when he got off the chair and leaned right into my face. I shut up immediately and shrunk in my seat.

"_No-one_," He murmured as I went slightly cross-eyed with him, "No-one is allowed to leave the Society."

There was a slight silence.

"…Who are you?" I finally managed to muster the bravery to ask as he leant off me, "… And why do you look like my dad?"

'Dad' smiled as he sidled back to stand in front of me again. He seemed pleased that I was co-operating (finally). "…Actually, I don't look like this at all." He explained, gesturing to his dad-looking self; I didn't get what he meant. He then eyed me from head to toe briefly, "Can I ask you something first?"

I began to sweat in my chair. "…W-What?"

"How old are you?"

"…..Sixteen."

"Really? Guess you're not as little as I thought you were." He replied, scratching at his chin again. "You don't mind if I smoke, do you?"

In response, I glanced to the side, and back, then meekly shook my head; and he delved into his pocket and withdrew a cigarette, before protruding out a blood-red coloured lighter with a gold thunderbolt painted on it and lit the cigarette up. He took a few drags before exhaling the fumes out.

As I coughed slightly at the unbearable stench, he looked at the cigarette that was squashed between his fingers. "You don't like it?"

I kept quiet.

"Wanna try it?" He then asked, a devious grin forming over his face.

I shook my head furiously again, refusing to look at him as he prodded the cigarette towards my direction.

"Why not?"

"…I told you, I'm sixteen."

"So? That doesn't mean you can't smoke. Your friends - I bet you they're all under-age but they're smoking and taking crack and dope and getting stoned and attending late-night rave parties and going out with all sorts of boys and hell, maybe _girls _even, and you're feeling uncool if you don't try any of those aforementioned."

"…." I gawked at him stupidly for a moment, then – "_No_."

He blinked at me owlishly, and to my complete and utter surprise, he slowly reached forward, and I shrunk again as my mind mentally screamed _Oh my god, what if he's trying to kill_ – His hand landed on top of my head, and he ruffled my hair.

"You're a good kid."

…..Huh? My jaw fell open slightly in response as I gaped up at him. What on earth was this weirdo up to?

"What? What's wrong?" He said as he pulled his hand back, now strangely disgruntled as I stared at him like a deer caught in headlights, "Stop looking at me with those big, wet, bug-eyes of yours. Makes me feel bad for hitting you so hard earlier on."

It was then I remembered what had happened. I saw dad – no, this person, who looks like dad (and why does he look like dad, really? I don't know, I guess I'll find out later if I'm lucky), and this guy who looks like dad – he hit me. I was knocked out and dragged somewhere. Then, I woke up here. I looked up desperately at him. "_Who __**are**__ you_?"

He puffed out more cigarette smoke into the air and took another drag. "Name's Rai."

"Let me go, Rai-san." I said quickly, "Let me go so you don't go to sleep tonight with a guilty conscience, knowing that you're a bad person for hitting and kidnapping a little girl and go to Hell for it when you die."

He raised an eyebrow at my remark. Suddenly, a large flood of light entered and I realised it was still daylight outside… the door had opened, revealing a staircase, and a shadowy figure hopping down the stairs. The door promptly slammed back shut, engulfing us in darkness again.

"Rai." The shadowy figure said. The voice was monotonous. Bored even, and it belonged to a girl.

"Eves. Our little guest has finally woken up." said Dad… no…sorry, _**Rai**_, as he turned back to me with the hidden girl… somewhere in this room. It was too dark. I couldn't see her except from Rai, who stayed under the light near me.

"Why are you still looking like that?" said the girl called 'Eves'. "Change back."

"Huh? Oh, right."

Rai stepped back, and I wasn't quite sure what happened next, but there was this sudden cloud of smoke and as I coughed and spluttered. What the heck was going on? Where did all this smoke come from? I squinted my eyes as the smoke withered away, slowly dissimilating into the atmosphere. 'Dad' was replaced with a tall figure. He was a young man with red sunglasses adorned in a grey-hooded top (that looked like it was a bit too big for him), and a pair of loose jeans with a silver chain. He had sleek, jet-black hair covering one eye that reached his shoulders and a 'pigtail' trailing down one shoulder. My jaw dropped in disbelief.

Suddenly, dad's previous words echoed in my mind: _"Someone came the other day… This young guy with black hair, red sunglasses and a hooded top."_

"….It was you… You came to warn my dad…That's-That's what you really look like?" I stared at him wide-eyed. "…How did you do that? Are you…some kind of... shapeshifter..? A transfiguration wizard?"

"No. You've been reading too much Harry Potter." He responded flatly, with half-lidded eyes. I couldn't believe it - even his voice and his clothes had _changed_. No longer did he sound like dad. There was no wrinkles, no bald head, no flabby waist, no haramaki, nothing. He had become a totally different person. A younger person, in fact.

_HOW THE HELL IS THAT EVEN POSSIBLE?_

I sat back in my seat in stunned silence; I think I just saw another un explained wonder of the world. If this keeps up, my life will be complete before I turn 20. "How did you – "

"That's enough." He interrupted immediately, "I don't owe you any explanations."

I glowered at him sourly, but simmered down nonetheless. They're going to kill me now. Oh god oh god oh god. I can imagine them discussing how they're going to kill me. they'll go upstairs and draw plans and blueprints and talk amongst themselves while I rot here without a chance to go to the bathroom and pee as a further means of humiliating me even more before I depart this godforsaken life and then they'll be honing their knives so they're sharp and pounding their mallets so they're sturdy before getting ready with their disposable bags and aprons and bleach to wash away all the evidence that's left when they're done with me and -

"Where's your father?"

I glanced up at the shapeshifter nervously. _What do I say? I don't know where Reborn took dad, but…_

He said, "Where is the blueprint he took with him?"

_If I don't say anything, they might hurt me… But if I tell them I don't know where dad is… and that we lost the blueprint a long time ago… what difference will it make?_

The shapeshifter put a hand on my shoulder and I tensed up all over, disliking every moment of this. As if it couldn't get any worse, he leaned into me once more, so we went eye-to-eye level. "Nobody has to get hurt here," He said, lowering his voice to an almost inaudible whisper, "…So I'm going to ask politely one more time – where is your father? And where is the blueprint he took with him on the day he fled?"

I said nothing.

"…She's not talking," The monotone girl decided to comment on my lack of response. "Perhaps she needs some reinforcement."

"No. No need for torture. All we need is a just a bit of the good ol' violation of personal space." Rai said, tucking his cigarette behind his ear before he grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him in a split second. "_Where's your _– "

He stopped.

I had squeezed my eyes shut; I didn't like being so close to people, especially strangers, and it thoroughly reminded me of the numerous times Hibari would always deliberately corner me against walls and such; the feeling was the most unnerving as ever and I trembled in my seat, coupling it with a few, indistinct whimpers.

I realised, at that precise moment - _I really miss Hibari!_

When nothing happened, I slowly opened one eye, then the other, and blinked up at the shapeshifter. He was gazing back at me wordlessly, and for a moment, all was silent. I could hear water dripping somewhere and the low hum of a vibrating ventilation shaft in the walls, and I didn't dare to move for a few seconds therefore we exchanged the most vacant, blank stares one could possibly muster. I assumed staring didn't accomplish much as he let go of me with a roar of frustration, before grumbling and muttering under his breath incoherently.

Following that rather bizarre moment, the girl said, "Rai, what are you – " But she was cut off in her sentence promptly by a loud CRASH that forced the two hitmen to glance away from me and towards the direction of the sound. It came from upstairs.

"What was that?" He snapped, with a newly-found irritated fervour, his eyes narrowing. Immediately, he snubbed out his cigarette by crushing it into an ashtray on the table and frowned. "It's probably Yura screeching for her spongebath, but you should check anyway."

"Okay." Without another word, the mysterious girl dashed up the stairs quickly in a blink of the eye, A few moments later, the door to the basement was flung open once more and sunlight poured in, highlighting a dark silhouette of a girl with long hair. "Rai, there's a boy at the door."

"What? Is it one of those boy scouts again?" Rai barked, and he let out an infuriated snarl before turning to face the girl at the doorway. "Tell him to get lost. We're not buying his home-made, fund-raising brownies and we're not interested in saving the orphans or the rainforest or the last freaking panda on this earth for all I care."

"Okay." And the girl left the doorway again.

Back upstairs, we heard a few footsteps, then what seemed to be muffled conversation, before – _**SLAM! **_It wasn't a door slamming, no. The walls of the abandoned textile store rocked off its foundations slightly and Rai brought his head up when a few specks of dust shook from the lightbulb before floating down to land over his nose. He pried off his sunglasses with a questioning murmur of 'Hm?' and swiftly wiped them clean with the rim of his sleeve. "Evie?" He said out loud as he replaced the sunglasses back over his eyes.

The door to the basement suddenly flew open, swinging madly on its hinges before slowly swerving back. A recognizable figure stood at the open doorway. I squinted my eyes._…Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy? _But then - "….Herbivore…" A familiar voice growled out before the figure began storming down the stairs towards us, and I leapt slightly in my seat, still tied to the chair. _H-Hibari?_

"What the - ? Who the heck are you?" Rai spluttered out, pointing at Hibari who was mid-way down the stairs. "Evie, where are you – "

"…I'm right here…." came a groggy-sounding voice. A girl waddled over and stood at the doorway, swaying slightly, having to hold onto the door frame for support. She was dripping blood from her forehead. Surprisingly enough, Hibari ignored her.

"Evie! Are you alright? Get Yura and go - I'll deal with this." Rai commanded, and the girl nodded, hobbling away from sight once more, and Rai spun round to face Hibari, observing him from head to toe. "Huh. And who are you supposed to be?"

I cringed. _It's Hibari! _

Rai turned to me subsequently, "Is that your _**vampire**_ boyfriend? I heard it's the latest trend these days."

I shook my head furiously. _Hibari – boyfriend? NO WAY! Vampire? …..Er…Maybe?_

Hibari took one sweeping look at me, realising that I was ultimately tied to a chair and staring at him woefully with shimmering soulful eyes – and to top it all off, I was accompanied with an embarrassingly endless, dribbling nose. He growled, seemingly ignoring the vampire comment, "Extortion and interrogation practises are forbidden on Namimori premises unless it has been submitted to the Committee for revision and permission. I take it you are the leader - then you are responsible for this."

"Hibari, no - !" I wailed in my seat, jerking and flailing. _You've got it all wrong!_

Rai caught on fast; he grinned, quickly side-stepping behind me and from out of nowhere, he had a small revolver pointed to my head, his other arm wrapped around my neck. I squeaked, squeezing my eyes shut tightly as the nozzle pressed against my temple. He tightened his hold around my neck tenfold and I gagged slightly. However, his attention was aimed at Hibari, "Hey, you! Yeah, I'm talking to you, the vampire boyfriend! If you cherish your girlfriend's life, you better tell me where her father is right now!"

Silence.

Hibari twitched ever-so-slightly. "Girlfriend?" And with that, I flushed, wishing the ground would swallow me up. He dismissed the remark regardless, "…I don't know what's going on here, but you need to be bitten to death - For unlawful extortion and possession of contraband weaponry."

"…Bitten…?" Rai uttered out, and as I lay limp in his grip, a trickle of sweat dripped down the side of my head. I wondered who I should be afraid of the most. Hibari, or Rai? I watched anxiously, realising I was stuck in the middle. This seems to happen to me a lot.

"Herbivore," Hibari added, "You have a lot of explaining to do."

Rai threw me a fleeting glance from the corner of his eye. "You've not told him anything?" He sounded vaguely surprised, "Well, that kinda makes sense. There's some things you can't tell your boyfriend, like this, for example."

"…He's not my boyfriend." I grumbled through gritted teeth, and Hibari raised an eyebrow in response.

The shapeshifter ignored me anyway, and drew the gun away from me, now waving it towards Hibari like a flag, "Hey shorty! Yeah, I'm talking to you! Didn't you know? Your little girlfriend here… Her father's part of the Italian mafia. Yeah, you heard right. The MAFIA. The pinstripe suit, godfather and guns-mafia. That kind of mafia." He exclaimed, and I was sure I had said something like that before, but… Rai continued his rant anyway, "And he ran away, but now, we want the slippery little sucker back. He's escaped the country, so we'll be taking his daughter hostage instead."

"You," Hibari snarled at Rai, "You talk too much. Prepare to be bitten to death."

Rai blinked at him. "You don't care what happens to her?"

I whimpered louder. _Someone help me…Black Suit Purple Shirt-san… where are you?_

"Do whatever you like. The herbivore is more trouble than she's worth." Hibari muttered (to himself?), his eyes never leaving Rai's form, and then, he came charging forwards without further ado – to my utter horror, I realised Hibari was probably to going to hurt me, too.

Rai seemed to have noticed as well and he let go, flinging me to the side just before Hibari's tonfas could connect with the both of us. I went reeling, spinning in the chair before it toppled to the floor, taking me down with it. The ropes became undone from my chest and I dropped out of the chair, landing ungracefully on my front with my rear sticking in the air. Uh…. why do these things keep happening to me? With my wrists and ankles still tied, I wriggled over to a safer spot. As I looked back up, I realised Hibari and Rai were busy engaged in battle, tearing apart the basement in progress. The amount of noise was unbearable… The table was upturned, pizza flying everywhere, the ashtray went whizzing to a corner, spraying ashes everywhere, and Rai's lighter with the thunderbolt insignia skidded across the floor…Wait! That's it! I caterpillar-wiggled over to it and tried to reach it. Hopefully, the lighter can burn through my ropes… as if I'll wait for Hibari to win this fight and untie me…

A few gunshots were heard, followed by the sound of something hitting off metal, followed by - "What the - ? You deflected the bullets? WHAT KIND OF VAMPIRE ARE YOU?"

I ducked and eggrolled away from the fight as Rai suddenly came hurtling towards me in order to avoid Hibari's attacks, almost stepping on my head if I hadn't withdrawn my head in a tortoise-like reflex. He reached down and grabbed me and held me up in front of Hibari as some kind of human shield. I glared at him. "….You really are shameless!"

"Why don't you tell me something I don't know?" He replied with a grin, before turning to Hibari, "Watch it! Take one more step and you'll end up hitting your girlfriend!"

Hibari stepped forwards anyway. "Then I'll bite the two of you to death."

Rai blinked owlishly at him, then whispered to me - "Wow, he really doesn't care about you. What on earth do you see in him?" - Before he dropped me again, ducking away from another tonfa-attack before coming back up behind Hibari. "Heh, I gotta admit, you got some moves, kid."

Hibari twitched ever-so-slightly once more.

"Uh-oh." Rai narrowly evaded a swipe to his head by leaping to the side, "You're pretty mad even though I haven't done anything yet." He leapt towards the direction of the stairs, but before he could flee, Hibari hurled a tonfa towards his direction and he had to jump back a few paces to avoid the attack.

"Don't try to escape," Hibari growled at him, with one tonfa only, "And fight me properly."

Rai and I slowly turned to Hibari respectively. Had he really said that? Rai raised an eyebrow, before he brushed a hand through his messy black hair. Then, he sighed.

I swallowed down; _I hope Hibari knew what he was doing!_

We watched Rai, as he slowly protruded out a dark, flute-like device from the pocket of his hooded top. He then held the flute… or pipe, horizontally at arm's length and then – to my horror – a long, curved sickle blade flipped out – like the way a penknife would come out from its handle. It didn't stop there - the handle - it began to extend, and extend, and extend….

What was in his hand was the handle of a black scythe at least twice his height; to my surprise, he was holding the scythe the same way you would hold a baseball bat. I was surprised the basement was this big to accommodate its size. At the end of the dark scythe, was the long, sickle-blade that was at least the size of a normal sword. It was thick, but thinned out at the point, a perfect curve. And as Hibari raised an eyebrow, I gulped. Rai slowly positioned himself into a stance and held the scythe with one hand, the remaining length of the scythe resting over one shoulder.

"You want a fight?" He growled, "You got it."

A shadow cast over his eyes, before light, indigo-coloured flames began to emit violently from the scythe.

"_Exorcism_."

He certainly didn't wait for us to make a move first; he lifted his free hand which became engulfed in an indigo flame with a faint white hue that appeared from nowhere, before he sent a flame hurtling towards our direction.

I screamed just as Hibari grabbed me and shoved to the side before dodging. The fire vanished into thin air after a short while, and Hibari landed safely back onto the ground. "That your best shot?"

Rai didn't respond to his taunt except swing his scythe in a quick horizontal swipe - more purple fire emitting from the blade went zooming towards us. Hibari evaded again but Rai thrust the scythe towards his direction despite his distance, and to my complete astonishment the head of the scythe extended, and looped around like a metal chain-like rope but still with the blade attached. Hibari knocked the attack with his tonfa and the chain rope-scythe thing… whatever it was… it slammed into the table instead. Realising that Hibari would merely continue to avoid his attacks, he lifted the table up into the air and tossed it towards my direction. I squeaked, realising that I was completely unarmed and therefore utterly defenceless. Hibari was quick to rescue me, however, and in one fast swoop, he dived for me - to my complete astonishment – before reducing the table into tiny splinters as he smashed his tonfas into it at the same time, with me squished against him. His hand was planted firmly on my side, just under the wire of my bra.

I swallowed down shakily as my eye twitched. Hibari and I have had too much skin-contact for one lifetime.

"…Interesting," Rai began, "Even though you act all tough and insensitive…you really do care for her, don't you?"

"Shut up." Hibari barked, while I flushed in embarrassment under his grip and wished I might as well just die on the spot because I didn't think it could get any worse, nor did I feel my life was going to head in a better direction; Hibari let go of me eventually and took off charging towards Rai, who retreated his scythe, the chain-rope slithering back to its normal position on the scythe length. Hmm, I see, so his weapon is a scythe that can extend to become like a sickle to overcome melee problems.

Perhaps I should help? Or I could wait and let Hibari pummel this guy. Hmm, no, I might as well try and be useful here. I grabbed a piece of the destroyed table and threw it at the shapeshifter at the same time Hibari was about to land an attack; the shapeshifter dodged it effortlessly and turned to me.

"You stay out of this - This is between me and your vampire boyfriend!" He barked at me, before he swung his scythe towards my direction again.

My eyes widened when an abundant supply of more of the devilish purple fire came flying at me from his hand, and before I knew it - the fire engulfed me entirely - Hibari didn't get to me in time. My feet left the ground and I went sailing, flames wrapping around my body…But… it was strange… it didn't seem to hurt, yet when I landed, my head making contact with the floor… Ouch! Now THAT hurt. I wonder how many brain cells died in that assault…

A flop of dust flew into the air as soon as I landed on the ground, and my head went groggy… foggy… Nnghh…. Voices were becoming blurry…the basement light was getting dimmer and dimmer…and my eyes were slowly closing and closing, but then -

"ARGHHH!"

I woke up with a jerk, with my legs flailing and the covers falling off my bed. I looked frantically around my surroundings, sweating like crazy, before glancing down at myself. No purple fire. No pants on fire.

No Hibari.  
No shapeshifter, either.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew, just a dream…"

I rubbed my eyes and sat up, looking around my room once again… It's morning…Oh yes, school. Since I'm awake…I may as well get ready. I'm early for a change. I leapt out of bed and trotted to my closet, pulling it open to see my sparkling school uniform on their respective hangers. The shirt was as white as snow and free of the usual ketchup and ice cream stains while the skirt was also in pristine, crispy condition. I took it out of the hanger, looked at it back and front, and then sniffed it so hard my nostrils practically flared to an extent I thought was impossible until now. Mmmmm. Lemon scented...

"Kazuya! Rin! Are you two up yet? Breakfast is ready!" A woman's voice came from downstairs.

Breakfast? I opened my bedroom door and poked my head out, just to see Kazuya strolling past while brushing his teeth. "Hey squirt." He grunted, still plagued with sleep, as he lumbered back inside the bathroom.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Good morning to you too, Kaz." I returned back inside my bedroom and shut the door behind me, blinking numbly.

But then –

Wait a minute.

_Mom…?_

…_Kazuya?_

**To be continued.**

Boss fiiiiiight! I was so tempted to write that during the chapter.

Anyone who guessed he was a Mist attribute hitman, give yourself a hefty pat on the back. Rai is indeed the Mist attribute (even though his name means 'lightning'. It was all to send you barking up the wrong tree, mwahaha).

Although I said before that flames and ringbox attributes aren't present yet in this story, Rai is still an illusionist and can physically wield flames. But I suppose illusionists weren't known yet until Mukuro's debut so he'll just be called a 'shapeshifter' instead. If you're also wondering why one of his moves is called 'Exorcism' - it's because his fighting style is based off a dude called Iori Yagami from _King of Fighters _(don't own, unfortunately)_._

Thank you again for your reviews. I really appreciate them and reading them makes me very happy!


	16. The Shapeshifter, Part II

**WARNING**: OOC, Mary Sue. I also didn't want this to drag into three chapters so I got to the point and that's why everything is so quick! 

This chapter's pretty important.

It will question your existence.

It will also question on your perception of reality.

Well, no, not really. But it is quite dramatic. It's also quite long so make sure you're somewhere comfortable. Maybe even grab some tea or a biscuit.

**Chapter 16**

_The Shapeshifter, Part II_

Oh dear god.

I slumped against the door. What's going on here? How did I get from the basement, to home? …What the heck was that out there in the landing brushing its teeth? Kazuya? I altogether dropped my attempt to make sense of the situation. It made my head swirl and swirl, and frankly, I think I have had enough of situations where I am always lost or confused. It just can't go on like this. I refuse to be the piggy in the middle. I didn't know where to start… I looked around my room helplessly, wondering what to do from here on… As I wondered if I had finally snapped and lost it, I found myself routinely getting changed into my school uniform as I usually did every single wretched weekday morning and slipped out of my bedroom and into the doorway just when an arm grabbed me, looping around my neck.

"Hey squirt, why are you acting all sneaky?" A cheerful voice yelled into my ear before a clenched fist was repeatedly bopped over my head playfully.

"Ahhh! K-Kazuya...?" came my rather weak response.

He let go of me a few seconds later, my hair sticking up in all sorts of directions thanks to his hammer-imitating fist; it didn't hurt but I think it was enough to send me into quite a daze. I swallowed down and looked at him from head to toe as soon as I stopped swaying. My brother. It was my brother, Kazuya. ..._Really?_ He was tall, very tall, in fact. He had a mop of short and curly black hair and chocolate-brown eyes; he was dressed in ripped denims and a red and black checkered hoodie, unzipped, exposing a grey t-shirt underneath with the emblem of his favourite rockband. A dogtag hung around his neck, gleaming under the light.

I couldn't help but feel nervous.

"Come on, I'll race you downstairs." He said, grinning and completely oblivious to my befuddled expression. He wiggled his bare toes at me. "…Loser has to wash dirty underpants for a week!"

"…Uh…"

"What? What's wrong with you? C'mon, let's race!"

Did I have anything to lose here? Probably not. "O-Okay…?"

Kazuya and I took a few steps back in the hall, our heels touching the far wall opposite the stairs, "On my count – one, two – _**three**_!" He yelled, and then he took off stampeding down the stairs. I didn't know what came over me then but suddenly I was trailing after him; there was no other sound in the house that could be heard except from angry footsteps and frenzied, unfathomable shrieks and yells.

"Finisheeed!" Kazuya sang happily in opera-like falsetto once he reached the bottom of the stairs, and I scowled.

"No fair, you cheated!" I found myself yelling at him, before slamming a palm over my mouth. No, wait… what am I doing?

"You cheated last time."

"…I did?"

"Heck yeah you did."

Before I could say anything else, a woman stepped into the lounge from the kitchen and waltzed past us, holding a plate of freshly made toast. "I've never seen you two so hyper before school." She said, with an eyebrow raised. Kazuya's attention was diverted to the sweet-smelling, mouth-watering toast coated in melted butter and he quickly snatched one off the plate and crammed it into his mouth, while I was entranced with the woman. Not in a lesbian way or anything.

She was beautiful, with her long eyelashes and strong but delicate jawline. I gawked at her from head to toe; this woman adorned a simple brown blouse over a long top and jeans, yet she radiated an aura of elegance from her poise and appearance. She wasn't like that woman in Kazuya's picture at all. In fact… she looked like how I always imagined her to look like… Her hair was fresh brown and curled in loose waves, but tied up in a limp bun with a few curly strands looping over her ears. Her face was so serene and -

She smiled at me, and I tensed up all over for the umpteenth time. "Rin, what's wrong? You're looking a bit pale." She reached for me and I shrunk away immediately, but she still placed her hand over my forehead. "You don't have a fever of anything…"

What do I do?  
What should I say?

I'm actually… _-gulp-_ speechless. And that's never happened to me before! – well, okay, I lied, maybe it's happened to me at least twice or three times, BUT!

The woman tilted her head to the side. "Rin? Is something wrong?"

_Don't be nervous. It's just your mom. Your mom for god's sake. Your mom, who you have never seen before in your pathetic life you call… well, a LIFE. _

_Okay, deep breaths now…_

_Just_

_Be_

_Calm and - _

"…gefuu."

"Rin?"

"…uh…"

"Yes, Rin?" And when I said nothing except stare, she tried again, "...Rin?"

I snapped out of my stupor and quickly shook my head. "Oh, it's…it's n-nothing…" _Don't get sentimental here! This isn't like me at all!_

"Here, come and have something to eat before you go to school." She said, and I saw Kazuya sitting down in a chair at the dining table. When I didn't move, she turned back to me. "Rin, what are you waiting for?" She took hold of my wrist and led me inside the kitchen.

"Yeah. Hurry up and get in here and get fat with the rest of us, squirt." Kazuya said before he patted the spare chair beside him.

I couldn't seem to move, so mom steered me over and sat me down beside Kazuya, before she began placing down multiple plates on the table. Breakfast was…huge. There was a basket of fresh croissants and a side plate of soft margarine, followed by a collection of stacked up slices of white bread with a pot of jam standing beside it. A carton of orange juice and milk was at the corner, followed by a box of Lucky Stars cereal. I gulped down. As if that wasn't enough, mom set down two egg cups with boiled eggs in front of me and Kazuya.

"Mm, don't mind if I do…." Kazuya guffawed, before he tied this cloth around his neck like a bib and began scoffing and he was getting egg and toast all over himself and me but he didn't seem to notice and I shakily glanced at the plate in front of me. I didn't know where to start with breakfast, either.

"What's the matter, Rin?" Mom asked just as I ducked from a flying piece of fried yolk; Kazuya still wolfing down his food as if it was the last supper or something…

"I…I …I'm fine." I meekly reached over for the cereal box and swapped my plate for a medium-sized spaghetti bowl. I emptied some flakes inside before reaching for the carton of milk. I ate silently, flicking my gaze from Kazuya, to mom, as they conversed and chatted away like everything was…was…well, perfect. And normal. Was this normal? What was all of this?

_It's a TRAP!_

I leaned over and prodded at Kazuya's arm. It was soft and fleshy and sunk in under my fingertip. He turned round to me with his mouth full, the bib flecked with bits and pieces of food and all sorts of incomprehensible stains. "What's up?"

I quickly shook my head, then returned to my bowl of cereal. I chewed amiably. Breakfast tasted different than usual…. Better, perhaps? The atmosphere was different, that was for sure. I felt fuzzy and warm with Kazuya beside me and mom just a short distance away from the table. I couldn't stop looking at her. Or Kazuya, either. I glanced from mom to Kazuya as they continued with their own pursuits, then back to mom and Kazuya. They didn't seem to realise that I was staring at them with such awe and disbelief.

…_are they… are they even real?_

I shook my head fiercely then. What a terrible thought! Of course they're real. They're my mother and brother… I just prodded at Kazuya and he was real… all hostile feelings and apprehension I harboured had suddenly withered away like butter melting in a hot pan. After I finished my cereal, I sat back, before realising I still felt slightly hungry so I cracked the boiled egg with the back of this cringeworthy jewel-encrusted, sparkly spoon and tucked into the egg, before glancing around the kitchen once more and realising it was quite sparkly too, then stared into the living room… it wasn't that sparkly but it was so bright and clean….everything felt so flowery and pristine. Fresh. New. Immaculate.

Mom was busy dividing pieces of toast in between us although I wasn't sure if I could eat anymore, "Oh, yes, I almost forgot; you know Yamamoto Tsuyoshi's holding a party at his restaurant tonight. I'll be late, so I've left you some food in the freezer. It's some roast chicken and vegetables. Kazuya, you boil the rice because you know what your sister's like when it comes to electrical appliances."

"Yes, ma'am." Kazuya grinned, before the doorbell rang, and with a quick '_I'll get it_', he hopped from his seat and towards the door, opening it. "Oh, hey, dude. You're early."

I looked up when I heard Kazuya's noisy footsteps along with someone else's, to see a slim young male about Kazuya's age in a t-shirt and loose jeans. He had sleek, shoulder-length black hair that was brushed to cover one eye and a 'pigtail' over one shoulder. His single bright blue eye blinked back at us. To complete his look, he also had a bag slung over one shoulder and was gnawing on a stick of pocky. "Okaa-san!" He greeted mom cheerfully, before he turned to me, then grinned and winked, "…Yo, imouto-san. How's it going?"

I jerked up in my seat. "Eek! It's you - !"

But Kazuya was getting ready to leave now, completely oblivious to my pointing and 'eek'-ing and squeaking. "Alright, I'll be leaving with Rai now." He picked up another slice of toast and slotted it into his mouth and dashed back out of the lounge towards the front door.

"No, wait, Kazuya! That's – "

"What's wrong, little imouto-san?" Rai asked as he turned back round, grinning at me.

I faltered somewhat, then retreated back in my seat meekly. "…Er…W-Where are you guys going?"

Kazuya replied, "College."

"You're in college?"

He was squatting down, tying his red converses on before bending down to lift his rucksack over his back followed by his skateboard. Rai was beside him, checking his reflection in the mirror. "No." He said in a sarcastic manner, "I've only been going to Namimori Central College for the past YEAR."

"…Er, do you have any girlfriends I should be aware about?"

Kazuya stopped inserting the keys into the front door and spun back round. "Hey, you know I'm too good for the girls in this town."

"You said it, dude." Rai said, and they exchanged a high-five. "But seriously, you're so full of yourself, Kaz."

"You're just jealous, Rai."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah, really." Kazuya rebuked, before the two grinned and laughed, and mom sighed.

"You boys behave yourselves."

"Yes, ma'am." Kazuya and Rai replied in unison, grinning to each other again. Kazuya then opened the door. "After you, mi'lady." He said, bowing to Rai, who punched him in the shoulder playfully. He left the house first anyway, and Kazuya followed suit, but before he shut the door behind him, he turned to me. "Take care, squirt."

"…Y-Yeah, you too…"

Too weird. I'm sure Rai was that…that…er…hmm, now that I think about it, I can't seem to remember…What was I talking about? Oh… I seem to have forgotten… Mom bade Kazuya fare thee well for the rest of the day and I did the same. I finished my breakfast with a glass of orange juice and sat, watching mom. She finished the rest of her breakfast and got up immediately to clear the dishes away. "Um…mom?"

"Yes, Rin?"

"That guy who Kazuya was with."

"Oh, Rai-kun? What about him?"

"Is he a friend?"

"He lives just down the street - he always takes you to the park to buy you ice-cream."

"Really?" I still felt slightly disoriented so I pinched my arm and yelped; it hurt. Okay, this is not a dream, definitely. _If this isn't a dream, then what is it?_ "I, er, better go to school." _Maybe it really was just a dream. Yes, yes, it must've been._

She lifted up my bag from the side and handed it to me. "I packed your bag last night. Your lunch is in there, too."

I opened it and pulled out a cute, little pink and white box with kitties and a plastic cutlery kit inside. It was so girly, and probably would've made your eyes bleed, but… Mom made it for me. I felt a big stab to the chest and nervously replaced the bento box back into my bag before slipping on my shoes and opening the door to leave. "…thanks, mom." I croaked out.

"Bye, Rin. And remember to actually stay on the road this time."

"Yeh, sure, okay, bye." I was about to leave but then a strange pang hit me. Fear rose in the pit of my gut. What if I stepped out and if I looked back, everything would disappear? What if something bad would happen? What if I never see mom again? What if I never see Kazuya again? I quickly removed my shoes and then ran back into the house, running towards the kitchen where mom was. She was at the sink, and when she turned round, I didn't think twice and I threw my arms around her, squeezing my eyes shut tightly.

"Whoa! Rin, what's the matter with you?" She chuckled, as I held onto her tightly, burying my face into her apron. Mom took off one of her rubber gloves and put her arm around me. "….Oh, Rin…What's wrong? Why are you sad?" She must've heard me sniffle. I hastily dried my eyes.

"I'm not sad."

Mom tilted her head to the side, then smiled.

I let go of her. "I'm okay now. I-I should go to school or I'll be late."

Mom looked worried but I quickly darted back out of the kitchen and out of the house with my shoes. I shut the door behind me and marched out of the front yard, and paused.

_**Hibari Kyouya! My evil neighbour!**_

I almost forgot about him! I waddled over to a large rock and stood on it, then glanced over our fence only to see no citadel wall for all mattered, but a white picket fence. EH? I returned to the ground and frantically rushed out and over to the white picket fence. "Hey, what the - ? What happened to Hibari-san and his fortress, citadel home?" I squawked out loud.

A man in a white uniform was outside making his way towards the bin, holding a rubbish bag. He noticed me staring at the fence with a vacant, blank expression, "Oh, if it isn't Rin-chan!" He exclaimed cheerfully.

"...Where's Hibari-san?"

"Who?"

"…Hibari. Hibari Kyouya? Where is he? And isn't this meant to be...uh... his house?"

The man blinked at me, "I'm so sorry, Rin-chan, I have no idea what you're talking about. This is the Namimori Community Centre for the Elderly."

"Huh? Really?" I paled. He showed me around for a moment and I saw a group of old people beginning to spill out from the front door in these white jumpsuits, getting ready for a short stroll around the perimeter of the house with the company of a woman in a white uniform. Hm. The man said nothing more to me except 'Have a good day' and 'Come over for some brownies after school' and returned back inside Hibari's house - sorry, the centre for old people - and I strutted down the street towards Namimori Junior High. Hibari never existed? That can't be right. Or can it? Further along the road, I turned round, to glimpse at Hibari's… no, the community centre.

…_Hibari Kyouya never existed?_

Then everything… the basement and the guy with the scythe and the flying table…Aha, so this confirms it. It must've all been a dream. So….what? I dreamed up a guy called Hibari Kyouya? I gave him a fleshy appearance and weird personality and completely made him up from scratch? Is that even possible? Wow, I didn't realise I had it in me. Dreams are awesome! But… if everything that happened WAS a dream, why have I woken up and forgotten everything?

Oh, well…It's probably a case of temporary amnesia. I heard these things happen, just rarely. I'll get over it soon.

"Alright! Today, I start living!" I exclaimed, earning a few stares from passer-bys. I looked up at the sky and sighed in bliss. It was such good weather; this is great! This is how I should be living life, with mom and Kazuya in a nice clean house where I get huge breakfast everyday…

I continued down my path to school, determined not to think about that weird dream anymore.

…

"Hey, Rin-chan!"

I hadn't even reached my desk in the classroom yet; I looked up to see a girl who sat on the edge of my desk as I sat down in my seat and she began chatting to me while filing her nails. I just nodded and smiled the entire time, then the door opened again and Mayuki entered. She trotted in silently. Something was strange; she wasn't… I mean, in my dream, she was all glam-girl with Palty Hair Dye and Koji Eyetalk double eyelid glue and falsies. But here…Her hair was black and her eyes were tired, dazed, unfocused. Single eyelidded. She carried a cheap-looking satchel that looked like it would burst and spurt out all of its contents in nanoseconds, and she shuffled in with her head facing the ground. She also had these patchy school shoes and greying socks that looked like it could've seen better days.

_Wow. She looks depressed._

"Oh, look, it's Mayuki." said the girl who had stopped filing her nails, "… I still can't believe she got held back a year – I mean, how embarrassing is that? And it's so funny just how poor she is. I mean, her father's a toilet detergent salesman in the Namimori department store. I mean, how much money can you earn with that occupation nowadays?" She hopped off my desk. "Come on, Rin-chan, let's go over."

"Why?"

She snorted at me. "Fine, I'll go myself."

"Wait - " I said, but the girl ignored me and sauntered up to Mayuki. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but suddenly, Mayuki looked like she was about to cry and the girl walked off, smirking, the damage having been dealt. I stared, as the scene played out. Mayuki found her desk and sat down without another word. I waited – what I was waiting for, I wasn't sure – but no-one came to Mayuki's desk. No-one came over to ask her how her weekend was or if she saw that pop idol show last night.

_She has no friends?_

I stayed limp in my seat, staring at the back of Mayuki's head. I thought I could hear her sniffling, but the noises stopped as soon as they began. Mayuki was back to normal. She didn't let that get in her way of things. I watched her unpack her stuff and sit, waiting for the teacher to come.

Maybe I should do something…?

No, no, no what am I thinking? Of course I shouldn't. Mayuki's the most unpopular girl at school. Talking to her, would like, seriously cramp my style. With that thought in mind, I was determined to get the rest of the school day over with, but then –

_**Herbivore -**_

Eh? I looked up only to see no-one near me or even looking at my direction for all that mattered. Everyone else was busy chatting to each other and laughing and joking. But that voice… was so clear, so… familiar.

_**Herbivore.**_

Huh?

Is it... Calling me?

I glanced around. No-one seemed to hear at all. I scratched at my head then glanced at the clock; the bell would ring in five minutes. I better be quick... I got up from my seat and decided to abandon all common sense and follow where it was seemingly coming from. The voice led me to the far end of the corridor, where a single lone metal baton was lying on the ground. I glanced around, wondering the possibilities of someone dropping a metal baton by accident. I picked it up – again, no-one seemed to have noticed it except from me.

"I wonder what this button does." I pressed down on a seemingly innocent dent on the stick and out popped a hidden hook. Just then, a flash ripped through my mind like a searing flame, and a brief image of someone…this boy… this guy… hitting me over the head with this stick popped up in my mind. As soon as the vision disappeared, I glanced down at the stick. This isn't a stick. It's a_...Tonfa. _And that's when I realised.

_I've left someone behind._

I looked around. Everyone was going to class. I heard their loud chatter and their echoing footsteps surrounding me, and turned round. "…Hibari…" I murmured, "…What happened to you?"

I can't stay here.

* * *

Something's not right.

I pushed through the students to escape Namimori Junior High, bursting out through the front doors and back outside into fresh air. I didn't stop running. I ran all the way home.

…_Okay, so I've realised that I've definitely left Hibari behind by accident. He __**does **__exist. But there's someone else. Someone else is missing. I have Kazuya, and mom, but what about…_

_Dad.  
That's right. Where's dad?_

This entire time, dad has never been mentioned.

_What happened to dad?_

...

As soon as I arrived home, I dashed into the lounge to see Kazuya in the kitchen. "…Kaz? What are you doing here?"

"Classes got cancelled."

"Where's mom?"

"Went shopping."

"Shopping?"

He opened a can of soda. "Want one?" And when I shook my head, he said, "You look a bit tense."

"Dad. Where's dad?"

Kazuya shrugged, then moved out of the kitchen to sit on the sofa, before flicking on the TV. "I'm gonna play Super Airline Steward 5. You want to take up the spare controller? I'll teach you how to get past Level 57, the 'First Class Flight Passenger' level. Meet their angry demands and attend to Economy passengers at the same time. I tell ya, it's an absolute horror."

"No, I don't want to play video games." I said, "What do you mean you don't know where dad is?"

"We don't have a dad."

I plopped myself down beside him on the sofa, and shook my head, as Kazuya loaded the game. "No – that's what I thought. I…I had a dream, or-or so I think. It was about my life… with dad. And my neighbour, this guy called Hibari Kyouya – "

"Pft. We've been living beside the Community centre for the Oldies for years!"

"No, no, no, listen to me, Kaz - dad took care of me and now there's bad people after him, and - " I glanced around, "….Our house… it's… it's so bright and cheerful, and so clean… smells like lemons and flowers… and-and that's _good_, but when it was just me and dad here, it was like this mess all the time and we had a goldfish bowl – _Shadowlord_, and our foldable mah-jong table because we were too poor to afford a full dining table, and Hibari gave us a daruma doll, too…"

"What are you talking about?"

"…How did I get here anyway? I was at this basement, right, and Hibari was there, and this guy – Rai, your best friend – He had this scythe and he kidnapped me and he began using this purple-white fire and – "

"Sure you weren't dreaming?"

"No, I remember it as clear as day! In fact, it-it was today!"

He reached over and gave my cheek a fierce pinch. "Yeeeooow!" I howled, and he let go.

"Did that hurt?"

"Of course!" I screamed, clutching my cheek.

"Then you're not dreaming, and this is real life, and this is where you belong. So stop talking crazy-talk." Kazuya said, giving me a strange look as he fiddled with the game controller in his hands.

"…No. Something's not right… I just don't know what – "

He sighed. "Mom's raised us up all by herself. Dad divorced her when you were a baby, Rin. He abandoned us. You've been living with us your entire life. Did you sneak some meds into your imported twinkies or something? What the hell have you been smoking?"

"No! Dad…He's…He's being hunted right now! I need to protect him; I need to – "

"- Okay, Rin, that's enough." He paused his game, finished his soda and slammed the empty can down on the table. He turned to me, "Stop it. We've had this conversation before. And you know we're not supposed to talk about dad, Rin."

"What do you mean?"

He lowered the controller, smiled, then placed his big hands on my shoulders and shook me gently. "_You're with us now_. You have a mother and a brother. You're finally happy. You're not alone anymore. And you're happy when you go to school, you have friends…. You're no longer looked down upon by your classmates because you're poor and you got held back a year, and you're no longer harassed by Hibari…You have everything you need _right here_." He said, staring right into my eyes. "We're here for you."

"Wait – you just mentioned Hibari – !"

"Dad's gone. He_** abandoned**_ you, Rin."

"…Huh?"

"He left you behind. Don't you remember?"

"But that guy with the fire and the – "

"IT WAS JUST A DREAM. Geez, Rin, how many times do I have to tell you until it sinks through that skull of yours?"

"…Really?" I squeaked, "…I…It was just a…dream?"

He sighed. "YES."

My voice was starting to tremble. _It was all just a dream._ _Was it true? …Did dad really abandon me? That's right. Dad left Namimori… I'm all by myself._

"Mom and I won't abandon you." Kazuya said, his words echoing in the depths of my mind as I slumped slightly under his grip, "… I won't abandon my little sister." And I looked up, at Kazuya. My smiling brother. He said, "We're family. We'll always be together. Isn't that what you want?"

"…Yes."

"Then what are you complaining about? So calm down… play some video games…. We'll have a nice chat about what you did today, and then we'll – "

"Go to the arcade and play air hockey?"

"Now you're talking." He said, grinning.

And I was going to grin back but then – _What am I doing?_ I shook my head again. "No."

His smile dropped immediately. "What was that?"

"No." I repeated myself, yet my voice was trembling. "I can feel it. This…This isn't right … Everything! You…. Mom… our neighbours…. Mayuki… Me! …Look…. I love you and mom. I love you both so much…And I want to meet you two so badly; I want to see my family but I can't stay here. I can't leave Hibari behind, and I can't leave dad behind either. I don't belong here. Not…Not yet. Our family won't be complete if there's one member missing." I said, starting to sound desperate and frantic, "…And Hibari - "

"You're better off without him."

"No, I'm not."

"Why? Do you_** like**_ him?" Kazuya snapped, "Even though he treats you like dirt?"

"…I… don't know, but I miss him." I replied, "…And dad didn't abandon me and I'm going to look for him. He needs me - "

"Stop it!" Kazuya hissed and his grip on me tightened; he was shaking me to and fro with much more vigour that it was starting to hurt, "How many times do I have to tell you? Dad left the country to save himself. He left you all by yourself to deal with the hitmen. He doesn't care if you get killed!"

"Don't you get it? He doesn't care about you! You have everything you want here, so stay here forever, with me and your mom!"

"NO!" I yelled back, squeezing my eyes shut, "This life isn't right! I _am _happy, but no matter what happens, I'll…I'll stick by dad no matter what! And even if it means I have to…to endure everything and fight for my life, then that's fine by me…because…Dad would do the same for me and I won't abandon him, no matter – "

Kazuya cut me halfway, "What the hell's wrong with you? I give you everything you want and you still don't want it?" He screamed furiously, "You're cheating!" He screamed, "That's cheating!" His hands moved from my shoulders to my neck and immediately I began to gasp for air.

"K-Kazuya…" I choked out helplessly, trying to get his hands off me but to no avail; I saw it all, the fury burning in his eyes, livid and avid with anger. My mind was screaming - No, this wasn't Kazuya. This was a monster. This was…This was a trick - the shapeshifter's tricks. Kazuya would never do to this to me. I gasped out desperately for air, "…What..._What are you_...?"

He hesitated for a brief moment, but then he grinned, "What are you talking about, Rin? I'm your darling dear brother, Kazuya, who you've always wanted to meet."

I shook my head. He sounded as if he was mocking me. "N-No…you're not…L-Let me go - "

"…Sorry, no can do. You're in my world now," he murmured, before he leaned down to whisper in my ear, "...You're a tricky one, I gotta hand it to you. You're not like the others before you, and the ones before them, no... You're much, much more... more complex, maybe?"

And with that, he loosened his grip on my neck but kept me pinned underneath him anyway, "W-What do you want?" I whimpered.

"Don't you think it's strange your father left you behind?" He said, smirking devilishly, "Even if you're full of all that shimmering, glittery hope and enthusiasm that you can to defeat all us and protect him from the Society... Haven't you thought of the truth behind his departure? Like... maybe he wanted you to do this?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Maybe he's using you as a shield to escape from the Society. Maybe he'll move somewhere else like he did before, and raise another little girl and call her 'Rin'..."

"Y-You're _**insane**_! My dad's not - "

"Maybe he's sick of you, like all the other little creations he left behind in his laboratory...Maybe you're just another one of his weapons. Maybe you're one of his experiments. A failure."

And with that, he applied more force and I cried out – in fact, my voice was slowly starting to fade. I couldn't muster a scream or a squeak for all that mattered - I looked up and around my surroundings frantically, searching until my gaze landed on mom's knitting basket on the table beside the sofa and without thinking, I grabbed the handle of this pair of scissors that was sticking out from a pile of wool bundles and my heart immediately began going awful and going _THUMP THUMP THUMP_ and I was going to -

"…You would kill me?" He murmured, "…You would kill your own brother?"

I stopped. Then sniffled, a few tears squeezing out from the corner of my eyes, before my hand went stiff and limp and I dropped the scissors.

"Yes, that's right…" He crooned, "No matter what happens, you can't bring yourself to hurt me."

It was a strange experience, being half-alive and half-dead, that is. And I didn't do anything after that. Maybe I had welcomed this with open arms. But then the door burst open and - "_**Just because she can't hurt you doesn't mean I can't**_," snarled a familiar voice, and a figure dived down for the scissors and Kazuya was suddenly screaming, as the handle of a pair of scissors was suddenly sticking out from his side. His hands left my neck, leaving me on the couch, unmoving. I was lifted up by two strong arms.

"Herbivore." said the familiar voice, "Kazama, get up."

No response.

"Wake up."

"You're too late." snickered Kazuya, wincing as he pulled out the scissors, staring at all the blood he dripped on our lovely cashmere carpet, "She's dead. Heh…If you die in here… you die in real life." But then he grunted and tossed the scissors onto the floor. Of course, that meant it applied to him, too.

He looked away from my brother, to me, glancing at my bruised, purplish-red neck. But when he placed his hand over my chest, he could still feel a dull, lingering heart beat. He shook me again but I wouldn't wake up. He even clenched a fist and drove it into my chest just to get a response. When nothing happened, he growled under his breath, and then -

Hibari leaned down and pressed his lips over mine.

A few moments later, my eyes flew open as soon as air whooshed into my lungs at 100mph. I realised he'd been doing that quite some time just to get some oxygen back into me, combined with the occasional chest-thumping. I was in agony, and not just Hibari's clenched knuckles. It's a strange feeling, being resuscitated - imagine oil being pumped into a robot and its cogs starts running again. I gawked at Hibari, gawking at our noses almost touching, gawking at his lips against my dry, chapped, flaky ones. It wasn't romantic at all. No passion, no whatever. Just a big wet sloppy… kiss(?)… no actually, it was not a kiss…it…it felt like someone had licked their fingertips before dragging it all over your face. And there I was coughing and choking and spluttering all over Hibari's arm and getting his shirt sleeve contaminated with my manic, noxious splutters and exhales that would be 90 year old man with whooping cough to shame.

Hibari let go of me a few seconds later and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand then with his sleeve (of his other arm, not the one I coughed all over). I should be doing that, not him! But alas, he beat me to it. I felt shame from all four corners. Am I that deplorable to kiss?

"You..." I croaked, still trying to find my voice. "...Why did you - how did you - You couldn't - NO! You did NOT just do that, okay? W-We didn't kiss - " I stopped when Hibari shot me a lethal glare from the corner of his eyes.

"_Deal with it in therapy_." he grunted.

Eek! It felt like a slap in the face. And being Hibari, the insensitive, uncaring iceberg-of-a-boy he could be, he ignored me, didn't even ask if I was okay or not or if I wanted my first kiss back even though I didn't, he turned to Kazuya, who was frowning at our Snow White/Sleeping Beauty/Enchanted theatrical ensemble.

"T-That's impossible!" Kazuya roared, before stepping forwards to lunge at us once more, but then something strange happened - purplish-white flames began to emit from his body. "No!" He was yelling and screaming, as if trying to fight the flames that were purging his body before making a lunge at me once more, but he suddenly doubled backwards, the flames around his body burning vigorously, furiously, and he curled into himself for a few seconds before thrusting out forwards again with his head pulled back, facing the ceiling as the light completely engulfed him and then - "_ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH_!"

There was a very bright light and I was swept off my feet at the impact, flying against the wall and I hit my head really hard but when I wrenched my eyes back open, I inhaled a deep, staggering breath, like I hadn't been breathing for a long time and felt the stale stench of cigarettes and dampness and musky earth. I was lying on the ground, sweating and shaking.

I was back in the basement.  
Everything was back to normal.

It was back to me being prosecuted by the hitmen, dad on the run. No mom or brother. This time, I was sure. This wasn't a dream. Hibari was lying beside me, slowly stirring. I glanced around the basement, but the shapeshifter was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

Lol. If you didn't get what happened, basically, when she was hit by the 'fire' attack in the previous chapter and then she saw her mother and brother, they were all illusions conjured by the shapeshifter. I know it's kinda hard to get your head wrapped round. It's a bit like Coraline without the buttons and jumping, trumpet-playing mice.

And at the end of this chapter, Hibari intruded into the illusion to save Rin. I know it probably doesn't work out like that, but I wanted to make Hibari a hero who also conveniently knows how to perform CPR.

I've finally made my OC Committee. It's called 'Gamble' and it will be dedicated to all the hard working authors of the KHR fanfiction board who give us excellent OC x Canon character fics. I think it's more like a Committee than a Community so I will be the 'Head Prefect' (lol), and anyone who wishes to join can become Committee Members and add any stories you want, so check it out if you have the time!


	17. My Uncle

I'm baaaaaaack My exams are finally over! It was the hardest months of my life. But I had time to do fun things like starta blog! More news about it will be at the end of this chapter! I also feel... disoriented, as in, I can't seem to get back into the KHR fanfiction flow after the recent months. I actually feel as though I don't want to continue with this story. I dunno anymore... D: -sigh-

**Chapter 17**

_My Uncle_

"Eurgh. Urgh. Ew. Ick. Yuck. Gross. Ooh. Ahh. Eeh. Bleurgh…!"

I wiped my mouth for the umpteenth time. That was disgusting. That was foul. That was horrible. The stuff of nightmares. Thank god Hibari had gone upstairs to check if they were gone or not and left me spluttering and whimpering. I wanted to hurl, but then Hibari came storming back down the stairs of the basement, grabbed the collar of my shirt and slammed my back against the wall of the grimy basement. The hurl moment was over for the time being.

"Where did he go?" Hibari hissed.  
"Who was he?" Hibari demanded.  
"And why was he after you?" Hibari snarled.

Hibari lifted me up so high that my two feet dangled off the ground. I choked and rasped somewhat, my legs kicking and jerking I looked like one of those marionettes on strings. I croaked out through wheezy coughs, "…. First…. I dunno where he went either…..I woke up same time as you, remember? Second…. I-I don't really know that, either…. And third…well, they're after my dad, but – "

"They?"

"…Uh-huh."

"Who are 'they' exactly?"

"They're….. people."

"People." Hibari repeated. "Care to elaborate?"

"…They're… _bad _people."

"And why are bad people after your father?"

"I-I'm not really sure yet – hey, I just found all this out yesterday!"

Oops. Maybe I shouldn't have said that, I mean, _Hibari just found out today_. And a few minutes ago, no less. Was what I said, really meant to make him feel better? I guess dad and I, we'd played him like a right fool. Well, no, not really. Dad carefully missed out a few details of the whole 'Can-Ma-daughter-freeload-off-you-from-now-on-whil e-I-go-Hide-somewhere' thing.

Sweating, I turned to face Hibari abruptly, "I'm so sorry, Hibari-san – _urrk_!" It was a good time to grovel and cry and plead for mercy, but I was cut halfway by Hibari practically trying to make me one with the wall, his hands clamped around my neck. "Aaaaaahhhhh! Stoooopp! I already said I was sorry – aaurgh! Oof! NOOOO!"

I really didn't want to be stuck in a neckbrace for the Spring Dance, which, by the way, as dad oh-so-happily pointed out, was happenin' in a week.

"They're some kind of rockband!" I yelled (as if that would make a difference). "They recently came to Namimori!"

Hibari stopped strangling me for a split second. "So there are more of them. All weak herbivores mingle together just to make them appear stronger. I'll bite them to death. One by one. Starting with the leader."

"That would be Haku."

"Haku?"

"You remember that guy who was outside your house?" I said, "The one who said he was doing research on Namimori?"

"…Yes, I remember that herbivore very well. He _**escaped**_. I thought he was your friend, Kazama."

I was surprised. I thought no-one would be able to escape from Hibari no matter what. "I didn't know who he was, I swear! Then I met him again and he told me he was their leader!"

"And you don't know why he's after your father."

"No."

"I see. I need to find this 'Haku'."

"…Hibari, you…you don't have to."

Hibari flashed me a glare and he tightened his grip ten times over. "_Are you telling me what to do_?"

"EEK! No, I wasn't! It's just… "

"What? Spit it out."

"…well, this is happening because of me and my dad."

He growled under his breath and let go of me somewhat; I was groaning and dizzy with pain. It wasn't just that, my stomach was starting to churn and I could feel it rise up from the back of the throat and if this continued on, I'd end up embarrassing myself in front of Hibari as I always did. But Hibari didn't seem to notice that my face was changing to a faint shade of green either, "Yes, I am aware of that - "

I felt sick. "…Hibari, I don't feel so good…"

" - You and your father are nothing but trouble. This is why I keep my eye on you all the time." Hibari snarled at me again, giving me a rough shake that my head bumped off the wall and back. Bad idea, Hibari! I felt like wanting to hurl and quickly slammed a palm over my mouth.

"Hibari, I really _really_ don't feed good – "

But he carried on anyway, "You're a pest. You're suspicious, insignificant and always up to no good. You pollute the streets of Namimori – "

"Hibari, please stop – "

"What's wrong with you?"

"I feel… I feel kinda…" I let my sentence trail, my head drifting. His mouth was moving. I could hear him say 'herbivore' and 'bite you to death' but Hibari's voice was slowly becoming quieter… and quieter…My eyes strained to keep open…

…

And…  
Hibari became a bit blurry…  
…then…  
total  
darkness.

…..

I woke up with a start, then turned to my right, to see Hibari.

He was leaning forward in the sofa, with a mug in his hand. He was in different attire this time - a black t-shirt and jeans - and he gave me one long stare, then frowned and turned away, raising the mug to his lips. I glanced up and around, before realising we were back home. Well, Hibari's home, that is. Not my home – damn, I gotta keep remembering that. My head throbbed and ached and I sat up off the sofa, the cold flannel falling off my head and into my lap.

"What happened?"

"You fainted."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

'Tis a shame. I thought I was going to be sick all over Hibari back there. That'd be gross but also amusing in a disgusting kind of way at the same time.

"Really?"

"Yes."

Strange. He seems awfully calm.

I guessed Hibari's bitchfit was over.  
Finally.

I think I'm more scared of Bitchfit Hibari than Normal Hibari now. In fact, I hope I never see him like that again.

"Oh. Okay." I glanced down at myself then, realising I was only in a vest top but still in my dorky, moth-bitten troosers. "EEK! You took my shirt off!" I exclaimed, throwing my arms over myself. "You didn't – "

Again, he grunted, "You have nothing to see."

A bead of sweat dripped off my temple and down my chin as I made a funny noise as I tried to think of a witty comeback. Think, brain, think! Nope. Nothing. Just a blank canvas. I sighed, before I swiftly got off the sofa.

"And where do you think you are going?" Hibari watched me toddle out of the living room and up the stairs. The Committee weren't here. They must've gone home. The clock on the wall showed me it was twenty minutes to 6. I heard Hibari calling me from the landing but I didn't reply, and I entered my room, then re-emerged out. I went back downstairs before storming out of his front door and towards the gate with my backpack slung over my shoulder, a cardboard box under one arm that I hadn't unpacked yet.

I really didn't want to be on speaking terms with Hibari. Thinking about what happened back at the basement made me want to hurl for reals. Even if Hibari _**did **_save my life. I sniffled somewhat, eternally grateful that the Committee wasn't there to see it.

"Herbivore," Hibari began again, "What are you doing?"

Sighing, I turned back round. "I'm going home. I didn't mean to get you involved in this mess, and I'm sorry for not telling you." I turned back round to leave but a hand grabbed the straps of my vest top from behind and I was slowly reeled back to stand in front of Hibari. "Hey! What the - ?" I quietened down as he let go, grabbed the box under my arm and returned it to the floor, then he grabbed my wrist and jerked me even closer to him that our noses almost touched.

"Your father asked me to look after you. And I will." He snarled, "So you're staying with me whether you like it or not, herbivore."

Without another word, Hibari let go of my arm, and reached down for my box and then began to re-enter his house with the box, and left it in the hallway for me to replace back upstairs in my new room. What the heck was this? Why is Hibari OK with me living with him now?

Hmmm. Me thinks he is up to something, but what?

**Same day. 5am in the morning.**

The phone downstairs went off.

Grumbling, I tried to ignore it but the persistent ringing annoyed me to no end. Plus, while dad and I had a lovely phone back at home with an equally lovely ringing noise, Hibari's phone was just plain annoying… Stupid… irritating…. It was like a BING noise, like the ones in those Test-Your-Strength stands in fairs and carnivals where you hit this hammer on this pedal and it's meant to make this lever go up and if you make it hit the bell then it means you're uber strong - so with Hibari's Test-Your-Strength phone, it was BING BING BING BING for the past five minutes.

Gah! I'd had enough! Furious, I kicked the covers off me and trudged out of the room, just in time to bump into Hibari who had also left his room. I'd never seen a Just-Got-Out-Of-Bed-Hibari-san before so I have to admit it was a little beguiling, with his teased, tussled hair and that somewhat sleepy look on his face and his pyjamas ruffled. He frowned at me a little before glancing down the stairs.

"Who's calling you at this hour anyway?" I moaned out with a raspy voice. Unfortunately for me, Just-Got-Out-Of-Bed-Rin wasn't cute at all and resembled a cat that'd just been fished out of a river.

"Might be your father." Hibari replied, and that jolted me awake in a split second.

"Holy shiet!" I hastily galloped down the staircase and almost slipped on the mat that was spread out on the landing, before scrabbling back up and my hand flew over the handset and I lifted it up. "Hello?"

"Rin!"

"Dad?" I began, in mild disbelief. "…I'm so glad to hear your voice! I – owww! Hibari! Why'd you – "

"Rin? Rin, what's wrong?"

"Hibari-san just hit me!" I yelled down the phone, rubbing the back of my head with my free hand as Hibari retreated his fist away back to his side.

"I always wake up at 7am. I intend to have my 9 hours of sleep." Hibari barked, before turning back to the stairs, "Hang up in 5 minutes."

"….Okay, fine, fine." I said, scowling at Hibari's retreating back as he went back up the staircase before slamming the door to his bedroom shut. I turned back to the phone. "Sorry, I, uh… Hibari-san, he just…well…"

"How're you holding up with Hibari-sama?"

_I hate it here! I absolutely effing HATEEEEEEEE it._ "Fine." _DAD COME BACK!_

"…Well, if you say so…"

"Where are you, dad?"

"Ahhh, I'd love to tell you but Reborn specifically instructed me not to or else it'd defeat the purpose of the protection programme."

"Can I guess where you are? Are you in America?"

A sigh. "Rin…"

"Africa?"

"Rin, you know I can't – "

"The Philippines?"

"Rin!"

"What?"

"Just stop."

"Okay, okay, sorry."

"Reborn had them install a separate, special landline so I can call you and no-one would be able to track me! It should be about 8 o'clock back at home, right?"

"Dad… It's 5 o'clock. _**In the morning**_." I grunted, turning to Hibari who was now glowering at me bitterly through half-open eyes. He gave me another dirty look before storming past me and into the kitchen without a word. Hmm, half asleep Hibari seems a bit more inactive and less-herbivorous hating.

I turned away from with a slight sweatdrop and pressed the phone closer to my ear. Dad said, "Ah, oops, sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you and Hibari-san."

Urgh. He's talking as if Hibari and I are a married couple or something. "It's fine."

"Yeah… well, I just wanted to see if you were okay. I heard you got attacked today."

"Hibari-san defeated him."

"Eh? Really? Aha! I knew it! See, it was a wise choice to have you stay with Hibari – "

"_Dad, we just endangered him as well_." I had to whisper that. Just in case. I also threw a nervous, quick glance upstairs from over my shoulder.

"Oh, come on, now. I'm sure Hibari-sama doesn't mind! I'm sure he enjoys protecting you, muhoho ~ "

"NO he does not! He yelled and threatened me – "

"He's a growing kid. What do you expect? Didn't you know that's how young guys channel their feelings? I remember when I met your mother, I was…"

While dad rambled on about something I didn't really give a toss about, I felt slightly sick. Feelings? What kind of feelings? "DAD!" I exclaimed, "You – how can you be so – I— that's so - I just - "

"I'm sorry, Rin, you're not making much sense. So, have you asked him to go to the dance with you yet?"

"…No."

"You better hurry! Before someone else does! Hibari-sama has lots of admirers, you know!"

"No, he doesn't." _Does he? _"Listen, dad, as much as you want me to, I wasn't going to ask – "

"Sorry, Rinnie, I gotta go now! My soup's boiling - Sayonara Rin, and stay safe and make sure you ask Hibari to the dance before some other girl snatches him up!"

The phone went dead immediately. Grrrrrr…while dad's having the time of his life in some random country thanks to the Protection Programme, here I am rotting in hell. As soon as I hung up, I shuffled away from the phone and sat on the bottom step in the darkness, staring around Hibari's living room while thinking about what happened today.

Just then, a tear accidentally leaked out from the corner of my eye, followed by another, and another. I couldn't help it. It just kept on coming. Urk… I better stop before Hibari sees. He'll think I'm uncool… as if I wasn't uncool enough already. Again, out of the span of my control, I let out a loud sob and sniffled in heavily, then wiped at my damp eyes. Aaaah, stop crying already!

**Two hours later.**

I sighed and left my new room, trudging blearily out of my doorway and into the corridor. I couldn't get to sleep – I can't get used to the new bed and the new room. I also ended up waking up because I heard Hibari leaving his room. He tramples. His footsteps are actually really loud; I thought I might as well wake up and get dressed… Kazuya's sellotaped face stared at me as I yawned and rubbed at my eyes. It's still the weekend… and it's raining… no baseball today… So….there's nothing to do…

I shut the door and strutted downstairs. As soon as I arrived at the landing, I saw Hibari in the lounge, who looked up from his newspaper to eye me from head to toe. I froze up on my spot and avoided eye contact as I tried to brush past him to get to the kitchen. Oh yes, let's recap – so Hibari Kyouya is my neighbour who I recently discovered is actually a leg-feeler. I cringed and cleared my throat as I passed him.

"Hold it."

He grabbed my arm and dragged me back in front of him, before shoving me against the wall. I blinked up at the Prefect who was now cornering me. He said nothing yet his eyes glinted mischievously. _Predatorily_. I swallowed down, and turned my head to the side quickly, unable to face him. Hibari had effectively caged me within and I had no choice but to back as far as possible against the wall nervously.

"…w-what are you – " My tongue went spastic on me and I couldn't finish my sentence properly.

Hibari suddenly shoved a basket of wet laundry that was to be hung outside.

I groaned. "...Do I have to - "

"Get to it."

And I sighed. "Yes, Hibari-san..."

After hanging out Hibari's washing, I returned back into the house only for Hibari to approach me - yet again. "There are some rules you need to know." He said, "First, you will not enter my room without my permission."

"Okay."

"Second, you can do whatever you want during the weekend, but in the evening, you return here. During the weekdays, you will stay here during the day and evening."

"Okay."

"Third, since you hid the truth from me, I will punish you."

"Ok – wait, I already – "

"Quiet." He hissed, and I sucked my lips into my mouth (you should try it sometime. It's weird), "To make up for your dishonesty, you will allow me to do whatever I want to you."

My eyes widened. "Whatever you wa – Hey! Wha - "

He interrupted me again. I was getting sick of it, really. "To let you live here, is a favour your dad asked of me. He has not specified what I will get in return for doing so, so I expect something in return from you. So…" Hibari let his sentence trailing, as he gazed at me from head to toe. "- you will do all the household chores."

I looked back up at him in shock, but breathed out a huge sigh of relief. "Phew! I thought – "

"You thought what?"

"Nothing."

Hibari was about to say something again until he was suddenly interrupted up by the doorbell. Ah! Saved by the bell! "I'll get it!" I quickly jittered back into action, grabbing the keys off the coffee table in process. I slipped on my shoes and stalked out of the front door towards the gates. As soon as I arrived, I opened the gate, but…

There was no-one there. Before I could slam the gate back shut, a voice said, "Down here, Rin."

I glanced down as the voice kindly requested, "...Reborn?"

But there was something with him.  
_Another _baby.

He had wild, leaf-green hair, a white labcoat, and glasses. He stared up at me with this out-of-focus, tired, almost dazed expression, and he cleared his throat and blinked at me behind his spectacles, with his hands behind his back. "So you're Rin." said the baby with green hair. I glanced from him, to Reborn.

Reborn said, "Sorry, I'm late. I heard you were attacked yesterday."

"I'm fine."

"That's good. This is…" Reborn turned to his baby companion, who stepped forwards.

"Thank you, Reborn, but I shall take over from here. My name is _**Verde**_." said green-haired baby as he gestured to himself. It was then I noticed he had troll hair. Like those tiny plastic trolls that were popular in the late 90's. Anyway, moving on! He said, "I'm your Uncle, and I'm here to train you."

What the - ? Uncle? Holy shitters! Now I've suddenly got another family member I never knew about in my whole 16 years of meaningless existence?

"May we come in?"

I threw a meek glance over my shoulder back to Hibari's house. "….A-Actually, um… it's kinda... not that, er, convenient here."

He frowned. "Fine. Let's go to your house; I only require five minutes. I am your father's closest friend and I have much to say to you."

"You're from the Secret Society?" I said, he nodded. "And you're my… Uncle?"

"Yes. What part of that do you not understand?"

"No, I understand."

"We have very important matters at hand here. I'm certain you have heard of the Prosecution of Innocenti."

_My dad's prosecution is even given a title that sounds like a chapter out of a book?_ "Do you know about the hitmen?"

"I know there are people after your father, yes, but who they are exactly, I'm not sure. I believe Reborn may have a better idea."

"Yes, I have a large amount of networks with access to a lot of information." Reborn chimed in.

"As for me," Verde was speaking again, " - I _am_ from the Society, but I have not been active in the Headquarters for some time. I have been attending to my own matters…so, my knowledge on the Society, their members, and their current status are a little diluted."

"Oh, right…Um, how long have you been inactive?"

"Ten years."

"… Ten years?"

"Your Uncle Verde has been wanting to see you ever since Innocenti left with you." Reborn added.

"After your father left, our research institution fell apart. Without Innocenti, we couldn't get much done. We were a very good team and we all had very distinct roles. Without Innocenti, our research grinded to a complete halt. Koenig and I had to pick up the pieces. I believe Koenig isn't taking this very lightly."

"Who's...Koenig?"

"The man who is after your father. They were best friends, once."

I froze up all over. "Wait – Koenig is the one…"

"Yes, he's the one who has sent the hitmen after your father."

"But why?"

"He wants him back at work."

"I thought you said you were all friends. Can't everyone just siddown and…. talk?"

"That's not how we settle things in the mafia, Rin." Reborn replied, just as I had a funny vision of dad and Verde and Reborn sitting around a poker table in some rundown, shady warehouse looking all gruff with beards and holding machine guns in one hand while the other balanced cigarettes in their mouths.

"Does it have to involve someone getting hurt?"

Reborn and Verde turned to each other, then murmured to one another before turning to me. "Usually, yes." Verde added, "Innocenti left us - for more than 10 years. During that 10 year gap, we heard nothing from Innocenti, until now. There was no contact, nothing. He completely disappeared on us. And when we do find his location, he flees again."

_He's making dad sound like such a prick…._

"I'm sorry but I cannot disclose Innocenti's location to either of you." Reborn said.

"It's not dad's fault." I added quickly, "You have to understand, Verde."

"I understand."

"You do?" I squeaked, "…And you're not… angry?"

"Your father is a bit of…well, we have been colleagues for far too long. Whatever trouble he has got himself stuck in, I know I will have to be there to tidy up his messes. Unfortunately. I'm sure Innocenti had his reasons. Koenig, on the other hand, is a little….well, he has always been… shall we say, unforgiving." Verde said, a little tiredly, "…Thank you for finding my niece, Reborn. You have my gratitude. But if I may, I would like some time alone with Rin."

"You're welcome, Verde. I will come back in the evening. See you later, Rin, Verde."

"But Reborn, you just got here." I protested, but Reborn had already begun to leave. "Reborn! Come back!"

He glanced at me and Verde from over his shoulder. "Then I'll meet at the park tonight after dinner for some training. Until then, work hard, Rin."


	18. I get Rejected by Hibari

Thanks for the comments! And I want to thank **Raven T** who helped me beta and gave me awesome feedback on my stuff. But…AAHHHHHH I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry I never replied to your PM! But I want you to know that you have been so helpful and kind to me, but I just really wanted this chapter out of the way...so I just completely gave up on it. Please forgive me –sobs and bawls and rolls around on the floor-

So, yes, I wanna get Chapter 18 out of my system. Chapter 18 is one of those chapters that stops/has an impact on the writing process. I have other stuff written up, but it was just Chapter 18 that didn't piece together and make things flow. It's one of those cork-stopper chapters. Darn you corkstopper! I hate it I absolutely hate it!

* * *

**Chapter 18**

_I get Rejected by Hibari_

Verde paced around dad's workshop, overturning cupboards and drawers in his wake as I watched him from my seat. I offered to help but he refused; he'd requested I bring him to our home, which I did, only for him to turn my house upside down - literally. "It's not here." He muttered under his breath, as he pulled out the Workshop Cupboard of Strange Things and emptied all the contents. A rubber duck flew out, followed by a glasses case, a unicorn figurine, an empty bottle of dad's ear medicine and toenail clippers.

I rested my chin in my hand and sighed, "…I already told you that."

He turned back round. "Do you even know what a blueprint looks like?"

"No."

Verde sighed and finally stopped in his search, then began to make a swift exit out of dad's workshop and back to our living room. I got up off the stool I was perched on followed him suit. He said, "That's fine. I have one with me." Immediately, he began sifting around the inner pockets of his tiny doll-sized labcoat. Before long, he protruded out a folded piece of stale brown parchment and slowly unravelled it to me. "Rin, you do realise that this is extremely top-secret? You cannot tell anyone what I am about to show you."

I stared. Top secret? I tried not to grin stupidly; it felt too good to be true. It felt like I was part of some James Bond movie. As unfunny as it was in reality, I mean - I had hitmen after me and my father, I got a deadly weapon from Reborn that would surely be lethal in the wrong hands and the wrong mindset – but for once, I felt a part of something big. Something serious. Something uncommon that made me…different, from other people. I will be tacky and say my entire life, has revolved around nothing but being Hibari's neighbour and being the worst at math class and PE and school in general. What horrible things to associate myself with but it seemed that was the case. But now I am about to see something Top S-E-C-R-E-T that might change the world!

"Rin?"

I snapped out of my musings. "Huh?"

As if reading my mind, Verde said, "You take this situation so lightly. It appals me."

"I-I'm sorry." I straightened myself and nodded reassuringly. "I promise I won't tell."

Verde sighed under his breath, then handed me the blueprint. "Take a good look. It might refresh your memory."

I gazed at it but nothing made sense. It was just all over place, pictures and symbols… strange words… then numbers…. A strange emblem…. A…. circle? No, it was more than that. There was also a picture of a purple flame…then, a picture of a….a hedgehog? Wait! I don't understand!

"Do you remember anything now?"

"Why is there a picture of a hedgehog?"

Verde said nothing but grabbed the blueprint out of my hand and shook his head. "It's far too difficult for you to comprehend at the moment."

"I'm sorry, Verde. I don't remember anything. What are these anyway?"

"….They are prototypes for a weapon. Rings, in fact."

For a split second, I thought I had heard wrong, but seeing Verde's straight and solemn face and I knew I had not. Verde didn't seem the type to be able to pull off any stand-up joke anyway. I tried not to laugh. Rings? Seriously? How on earth would you fight with a ring? Take it off and throw it at someone? What would be the minimal damage caused by that?

He sighed as I let out a helpless giggle, as if expecting a childish response like this. "Has Innocenti told you nothing about his line of work?"

"No, dad said he didn't want me to get involved." I replied as I finally stopped giggling at my own silly jokes, "Believe me, I don't think I want to, either."

Verde looked back up; I handed him the blueprint which he replaced back into his pockets. "You cannot run from The Secret Society anymore. I think it's time you accepted who you really are, who you are meant to be. You are the daughter of a Weapons-maker. It will be time when you pick up his slack and start training."

"Whoa. Am I like…The Chosen One or something?"

Verde's expression scrunched up. "What on earth are you prattling about?"

"Never mind. What if I don't want to become like my dad?"

"You must! You can't refuse. This is your life. You will swear your loyalty to your family soon." He murmured, "Rin, since you were born at Headquarters, you will have to accept – "

"Eh? Headquarters?"

"The Secret Society Headquarters. There are two – one in Italy, one in Japan." Verde replied, showing two fingers up at me (not the swearing gesture, of course), "…I'm sure you have inherited some of Innocenti's traits. The Society will be after you for those reasons."

"Uh… If you haven't noticed, they already are, Uncle Verde."

We both sighed and threw our gazes down. The entire situation looked bleak. "…If we found the last blueprint, Verde, what will happen?" I squeaked.

He thought for a while, and said, "Then our research is complete, and the outcome will be…revolutionary."

….

Revolutionary, huh?

A few hours later, I left the house to find Reborn at the park. If we were going to do some training, I figured I'd bring the shuriken with me. I disguised it by wrapping the black cloth over it and slinging it over my back like a backpack. Meanwhile, Verde decided to stay in my house for a little longer and inspect the environment I grew up in. So far, he deduced it to be poor and vagrant-like judging by our old furniture, DIY and the lack of any modern updates in the house and standard equipment in the kitchen and bathroom. He was partially right, except from the vagrant part. Dad and I are poor but we're not living a below average existence. At least we still have a modern rice cooker.

Since it's the weekend, Hibari's rules means I am allowed to leave the house but I need to be back before supper. I trekked to the park as quickly as I could to see the baby sitting on a lone bench eating an ice cream.

"Reborn!" I exclaimed, waving as I rushed over.

"Ciaossu, Rin."

I plopped myself down on the bench beside him, trying to catch my breath.

"How did it go with your uncle?" He asked.

"…Nothing really happened." I muttered, throwing my gaze to my lap, "We couldn't find the blueprint, and I don't remember anything about it. I couldn't help Verde at all. It's weird that he's my uncle. He should be about dad's age then, but he's just a baby."

"Not necessarily." replied Reborn, "He was there when you were being born, you know."

"EH?" I gawked, horrified by the mere notion that Verde was there and watching when my mother was giving birth to me. "Too much information there, Reborn…"

Reborn chuckled and tilted his head over his head so he could get a better look at me. "You do look like your father, you know."

I frowned slightly. "I don't wanna look like my dad! He's a dude!"

Reborn only laughed louder. He finished the rest of his ice cream and tidied his palms by wiping them clean on a napkin before stowing it away carefully into his pocket. "Did you bring the shuriken for practise?"

I nodded.

"Good, let's go, shall we?"

"Go where?"

"I need to find a good place for your training." Reborn said as he leapt off the bench and began waddling off, "Come along now."

…..

"Reborn?"

"Yes, Rin?"

"I've seen the hitmen use flame attacks. They have…weapons, but they use these weird flames to ignite them and then they can do all sorts of crazy stuff with them, if you get what I mean. Can I do that, too?"

"Maybe."

We've stopped at the junkyard. Not that this was my first choice because it smelled really bad, but Reborn thought it was perfect. I wasn't sure if he was oblivious to the smell. But it was so STRONG.

"Right. Get down on the floor. I want to see twenty press ups."

My jaw dropped. "T-Twenty press ups?"

"Yes. If you hesitate any longer, I'll make you do forty." He said. While I did as I was told and got down to the floor, trying to 'press-up', he set up twenty two random pieces of junk all over the place before he returned to me. By that time, at least fifteen minutes had passed.

"Eeeeruuhhhkkk…." I let out a monstrous groan that would put Chewbacca to shame, struggling up on my puny arms.

"How many press-ups have you done?"

"….Just… one…" I wheezed out, with beads of sweat dripping off my cheeks, my temples, my forehead, my upper lip, my….everything. Gah! How embarrassing…

Reborn gave me a calculating look. "You need to do more exercise, and maybe go on a diet."

I gasped. "R-Reborn!" I exclaimed with my mouth forming an 'O', "I…I'm not unfit or fat. I-I go running and I play baseball and - "

He stared at my wobbling tummy, "Have you played baseball recently?"

"No…"

Pause.

"I'm not fat and I don't need to go on a diet! I'm perfectly happy with the way I am now!"

Reborn eyed me head to toe.

"...Really? You think I'm...fat?"

But dad has never told me I have weight problems! And I...I never thought about it either...

But I...guess I do eat a lot.  
That's normal, right? I'm only 16. I'm still growing!

I like chocolate.  
And bread.  
And cookies.  
And cakes.  
And sausages.  
And pies.

OH MY GOD!

At the moment, Reborn must be thinking how I managed to defeat two hitmen. Not one, but TWO. I didn't really. I had help, and Hibari defeated Rai, not me. I didn't do anything. Hm… now that I think of it, how does Hibari keep fit? I didn't see a punching bag or any exercise equipment in sight back at his house. He sure doesn't have any flab or wobbly bits. Maybe he goes jogging. He is quite skinny though, and he has a very stubborn chin, too. Unlike me, I don't have a double chin, but a quadruple chin. It's quite unsightly.

"Alright, get up. Let's see you use the shuriken."

I started to get nervous. It felt like PE, when teachers forced you to do the high jump in front of the entire class or whatever. I gulped. He had me try and throw the shuriken at them and knock them over. With the big shiny, four-bladed shuriken in hand, I tried my best. Unfortunately, seeing me use the thing was such an eyesore that Reborn stopped me halfway through.

"How are you coping with the shuriken?"

"I could use some practise, but…it's really hard to control. It keeps flying everywhere and I always miss. It doesn't feel right."

"It has only been two hours, Rin."

"Yeah, I know, but…" I looked at the blade in my hand. It didn't feel right at all. Sure, I'd used it against Yura but that was an awkward battle. And I kept running from the shuriken when it came flying back.

"Your father did tell me you have a good arm, but maybe the shuriken is far too advanced for you." Reborn said, "Perhaps you would like to start with something far more basic?"

Basic? I glanced back down at the shuriken. Reborn DID give me it…and now what? I give it back? I asked the dreaded question, "Can I still keep it though?"

Reborn smiled. "Of course. But for now, I'll ask Leon if he can make a weapon that can accommodate to you."

…

After training was over, I returned home tired and sore. I kept the shuriken and returned it back home, then went back to Hibari's home. It should be time for dinner; I panicked as soon as I removed my shoes and entered the lounge, flailing around as I wondered if Hibari would force me to squat beside him as he sat in the dining table and beg for food like a dog, or-or maybe he's going to make me wear a jester outfit complete with this silly hat with bells attached to it and flamenco dance to one of Lady GaGa's songs. Or maybe he will give me food – yeah, cat food perhaps, or even worse – _canned horseradish - _!

As I pondered my impending doom concerning dinnertime, my nose picked up a scent and I sniffed.

I sniffed harder and sighed with a swoon. Mmm…smells niiiiiiice. I wonder what it is… I dreamily followed the scent further into the house only to stop outside the kitchen. Suddenly, I deadpanned as a terrible image of Hibari in a frilly apron wielding a wooden spoon and ladle came into mind. If I saw that I might want to claw my own eyes out - But the image was proved inaccurate as Hibari emerged from the kitchen, with no frilly apron or a spatula or other kitchen utensil, but instead, he was holding a tray with goodies. By goodies, I mean grub.

I stared, hard.

Hibari… cooks?

WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

Well, he does have to feed himself…I berated myself mentally. _Idiot. Of course Hibari can cook. Why is it so hard to picture Hibari doing anything aside from beating people up and being mean to me?_

"You're in my way." He barked, as I continued to gawk at him.

I hastily hopped away to the side and he made his way to the dining room. Staring gobbled-gook at him, I followed him inside and stared at the tray of hot, steaming food. Oh my lord! My mouth began salivating right this minute. I'm so hungry…

I reached a hand towards a steamed broccoli only to have Hibari whack at my hand with a tonfa.

"Ouch!" I winced, retreating my hand and rubbing it. "What was that for?"

"You. Sit down over there." He commanded as he put down the tray, and I did as I was instructed. He shoved a rice bowl to my side of the table as I made myself comfortable opposite him. He handed me the chopsticks and then picked up his own. I didn't exactly know what he had made but it looked and smelt nice.

When he noticed I wasn't eating but staring at him wide-eyed, he placed down his chopsticks. "What's wrong with you, Kazama?"

"I…can eat?"

Hibari's eyes narrowed. "If you don't want to eat, then give me your rice."

My jaw dropped. "No!" Before I knew it I had yelled that out loudly and began spooning rice into my mouth with my chopsticks. Sooner or later, Hibari picked up his chopsticks again and began eating.

I watched him.

He's so prim and proper. But alas! I knew, behind this eating façade, he was still the demon spawn that used to kick and bite me and try to bury me alive in the sandbox when I was younger. But still, he's very prim and proper. I noticed there's a certain way how Hibari eats – and the whole idea that Hibari Kyouya, is in fact, eating food like any other normal human being like me and you. That's probably what makes it fascinating to watch him.

Suddenly, he flicked his eyes back to me, I choked immediately and looked away. He said, "Do you have a problem?"

I stopped coughing and spluttering, "…Problem? No. Why?"

"Then stop looking at me as I eat."

"I wasn't looking." I barked. Who'd wanna look at you? Looking at you makes a starving homeless man lose his appetite! HMPH! I spooned some rice into my mouth, chewing quickly and swallowing.

…

…hey, wait a minute…

Maybe this was a good time to ask Hibari to the dance, although the odds of being rejected was 99 per cent. The dinner went on quietly; oh no, what am I thinking? Why on earth would Hibari go with me to the dance? He already told me he monitors the dance – but technically, that's still going to the dance, right? Then maybe I can still ask? Uhhh… I don't know anymore… there's no harm in asking, right? And dad really wants me to ask. He's so determined about me asking him that he should probably ask Hibari to go to the dance. Heeey, wait! Dad SHOULD ask for me. Erkk… no, I don't need dad to do things like that for me. Alright! I shall be brave and ask - No, what am I thinking? Heck no I will NOT ask him – I think I'd rather die a thousand painful deaths than to ask -

"Hibariwillyugotodanswime?"

Ahhh! What the - ? Did I just - ? I just did! What the…? My mouth just moved on its own accord! Aha! Proof that the mouth doesn't always obey the mind! Why did I do that? Oh why oh why oh why?

I waited.

But his response was instantaneous. "No."

"Oh. Okay."

Well, at least I have tried...


	19. A Spring Dance to Remember, Part I

**Chapter 19**

_A Spring Dance to Remember, Part I_

**One week later.**

I've not been able to ask anyone to the dance. I've been preoccupied with Reborn's training, which happens every evening at the park where I do squats and lunges and ten laps. Ever since Verde showed me the blueprint and I told him I didn't know anything, he said he had to return to Italy to get something, and then he'd return. Hopefully.

And finally, it was the day of the dance and I quickly went home – sorry, Hibari's home - to get dressed. I rid myself of my school uniform and stood in my underpants before taking one look at the dress and held it up high in front of me. Mmhpgghhh… I can't imagine myself wearing this… oh, well, it was only for a few hours or so. I'm sure I can put up with that.

I carefully slipped it on and zipped it up at the side, and when I turned round -

"ARGH!" I leapt back a few steps to see Hibari standing at the door, with his messy, cowlick-infested hair, dressed in a casual black t-shirt and denims with a few chains swinging around his neck, "W-What the heck do you think you're doing?"

"You should learn to lock this door, herbivore." He muttered as he let himself into my room despite how much I gawked at him. He looked around and then moved over to sit down on the edge of my bed. I continued to stare at him incredulously. How long had he been standing there? In fact, how long had he been standing there, watching me?

"Heeeey, didn't you hear what I just said? What do you think you're doing?" I barked at him, "Can't you see I'm trying to get dressed?"

Hibari scowled at me. "What are you so excited about anyway, herbivore?" He said, with an eyebrow raised, as he got up from my bed again, "The dance?"

I quickly stopped hissing and spitting at him and nodded, "…Yup. Hey, I thought you had Prefect stuff with Kusakabe?"

"No, he's going to the dance."

"Huh?"

"A First Year asked him to go to the dance with him."

"Oh, I see, so you're all alone, huh?"

"Dances are irrelevant. All weak herbivores mingle together there."

_Hm, anti-social, much?_ "Well, what do you want? I already said I'd stay out of your way." I replied, before reaching over for the make-up I'd just newly purchased. "Hm… what goes on first? Foundation, or moisturiser? Hibari, do you know?"

Hibari scowled again, stalked out of my room, and I grinned. Aha. The Herbivore-hating Hunk is afraid of being questioned about girlish tendencies. A few minutes later, I ran down, all dressed and made up. Hibari was downstairs in the kitchen, drinking soda. When he saw me, his eye twitched somewhat.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I hissed at him, tapping my foot impatiently. Either it's a good thing or a bad thing. But whenever it came to interpreting Hibari's responses, nothing good ever came out from it. "…Never mind, I'm going now. I'm late!" I gave him a mock salute, pulling on my jacket and shoes before checking myself for the final time in the mirror. I had slapped on some foundation and pressed powder, a dab of eyeshadow, eyeliner and mascara. I felt eerily out of place, but all in all, I had to admit…it was a new look.

"The curfew is ten o'clock," snapped Hibari, "Or else you'll be locked out again."

"Yes, I know." I said, opening the front door and hopping out. "Have fun without me, Hibari!"

…..

The Spring Fever Dance Hall was ablaze with students chattering and dancing with one another when I entered. I stood around the dancefloor, wondering what to do now.

It seems, when you're by yourself, people notice you a bit more. Maybe I should dance so no-one notices. Err…. Wow, I haven't… I haven't danced for so long I don't even know where to start. When was my last dancing experiencing? Oh, I was being forced to dance with Shouichi at his birthday party when he was 8… that was a…well, a long time ago…. In fact… how do you dance? Okay, um, better start with my arms…. Yeah, I began swinging them around in the air, trying to feel the rhythm of the music… now the legs… I began hopping around, trying to copy what other people were doing. So far so good… Wait! Why is everyone looking at me like that? Am I doing something wrong? Like what? Do I look funny? I stopped dancing.

Embarrassed, I figured it was a better option if I go and sit somewhere until –

"Herbivore."

"Eek!" I leapt and took a step backwards from Hibari who had suddenly appeared from nowhere and was now standing in the middle of the dancefloor under the disco-ball lights. He ranged from blue to red to yellow to green and finally…pink. I made a funny noise then. "…Hibari-san, what are you doing here?"

"I already told you I monitor the dance."

"Oh. Yeah, so you did..." I laughed helplessly and brushed a strand of stray hair from my face, "Um… y-you didn't see me… dancing, did you?"

"That was dancing?"

"Uh….N-No, I was, just, erm, s-stretching, yeah, and - Oof!" I was cut off when a dancing couple bumped into me and I went spiralling forward.

"Hey! Watch where you're standing!"

"S-Sorry..." I looked up then, realising Hibari's arms had automatically shot forward to stop my fall. At the same time –

"This engrish song goes for all you lovers out there!" Kurosawa-sensei, who was at the DJ Booth, yelled out loud. He popped his headphones over his ears and pressed down on a button. Immediately, this engrish song that translated into 'Papi Rabu' (puppy love) began playing and everyone began cuddling. I hurriedly pulled away from Hibari, who merely gazed back at me with this tired expression on his face while I embarrassedly inched away him to make a swift exit. "Sorry, I'll get out of your way now…"

"Wait."

Hmm….That's weird, the music seems to have gone quieter. I turned back round. "…What?"

Hibari's fist suddenly smacked the side of my head.

Wincing, I rubbed at the aching spot. "Ow! Why'd you do that for?"

"Don't get any ideas."

"Ideas? What ideas?"

Hibari said nothing more and wandered past me, to the DJ booth, staring at Kurosawa-sensei who was adorned in a sparkly tie and tinfoil-looking suit. What the heck was he on about? …ideas? Like what? As I pondered, I felt a tap on my back and turned round to see Takeshi with his date beside him, a cute girl in a black dress.

"Hey, Rin!"

"Batman!" I exclaimed, blinking wide eyed at the tall boy who was in a smart, authentically tailored suit and matching slacks. It was a big difference to seeing Takeshi out of his school uniform and his baseball uniform for once, "I didn't know you were coming to the dance!"

"Yeah, I didn't expect to see you either. I thought you didn't like dances."

"I don't. But I…. got this." I gestured to my dress.

He grinned, "I see. You look really nice. So, are you having fun?"

"….Uh…y…y…._Yeah_(!), like totally. This is the most awesome dance, like, _ever_!" I cheered, trying to sound cheerful although it didn't sound like the most enthusiastic 'Yeah'.

"That's great!" Takeshi grinned again and introduced me to his partner, a girl from his class who seemed sensible. "Well, if you get bored, we'll be over there – " He pointed to the far end of the dance hall where the rest of the first years were lurking.

"…Sure thing. Thanks."

They sauntered away quickly, laughing and joking. Takeshi's always been popular with girls although he doesn't know it. At least Takeshi was having fun. I looked at the other couples and wrapped my arms around myself for a few seconds; I felt impeccably alone all of a sudden. And unloved. Sniffs.

Suddenly -

"Hey, Kazama-san."

I turned to my right to see Kusakabe, and Hibari - with this dull-dull expression plastered over his face. I supposed he'd rather be anywhere than here at the precise moment.

"Hi, Kusakabe-san. Where's your date?"

The second-in-command yelled over the music; it seemed to have gone up a few volumes. "She went to get drinks. What about yours?"

"…Uhhh…." I threw a quick glance to Hibari, who was now eyeing a cuddling couple not too far from us. I said, "I didn't have time to ask anyone." Deep inside, I was HATING myself! Sigh…

"Really? Oh, I see. Well, um, hope you have a nice time, Kazama-san! If you ever need any help, Hibari-san and I will be around!" And Kusakabe was off, tap dancing and tango-ing his way through the dancers, followed by Hibari, who gave me another warning glance before stalking off. At least he's doing _something_ though. Is everyone having a nicer time than me?

Then -

"Kazama? Rin Kazama?"

Who is it now?

I turned round to see a bunch of girls all holding drinks in their hands. Uh oh. Girls in my class. Danger! Stay away! They're always T-R-O-U-B-L-E. I tried to escape by ducking under a dancing couple only to have one of said TROUBLEsome girls actually approach me.

Mayuki.

"Oh my god…" She looked at me from head to toe. "Kazama Rin, is that really you?"

Even though I was wearing heels, she was still taller than me to some large extent. And tonight, she was even flashier than usual, with her long, long curled hair and white gold hoop earrings and pink lipstick and long eyelashes. I swallowed down the growing lump in my throat, and shrugged.

Mayuki's jaw fell slack for a short while and she stepped, shifting her weight to one foot. She crossed one arm over her chest while the other dangled her cup, her pinky finger sticking out and looking like it might jab me in the eye if I wasn't careful. "I almost didn't recognise you. You look…. Nice."

I couldn't believe. Mayuki, the richest and most popular girl in my class, was actually complimenting me. "Really? Thank – "

" - for once." She finished.

I stopped smiling then. "….Oh. Um…"

Mayuki took a sip from her drink. "Where's your date?"

I paled. "Er, I-I…"

"You didn't get one? That's okay, some of us don't have dates, either. The boys in our class, they're just URGH. We're too good for them, really. You should hang with us anyway."

I paused. What the…? Hang? With her? Why is she being so nice? What's her agenda? What is she trying to pull? Why is she talking to me anyway? She rarely bats an eyelid at me, and if she does, it'd just to insult me, because she's mean, and she knows it. People know it too, but she still has friends anyway. They'd rather be her friend than _**not**_ be her friends. Should I say 'yes' and hang? Or should I say 'no'? But what if I declined her offer? She'll call me rude and snub me off and whisper all unsightly things about me all night!

"T-That's okay, but I should really – "

It was then I noticed the other of Mayuki's TROUBLEsome followers began to circle me one by one. They stepped up close, and one TROUBLEsome girl reached out for my hair and another reached for my arm and another at the rim of my dress and my purse and immediately there was a hubbub as they fussed over me.

"Your hair's so pretty today!"

"Your heels are awesome!"

"You look soooo different, it's amazing!"

And Mayuki said, "Where did you get this dress?"

I looked up at her. "My dad got me it."

There was a pause in the group.

"You know… it looks familiar." said one of Mayuki's followers. They had stepped back and were now glancing at me head to toe again.

The girls began whispering to each other as they stood in front of me. I began sweating. I should get out here, quick! But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Dad's always telling me not to be afraid to make new friends. And now a bunch of girls are actually thinking twice that I might be cool and may want to be my friend.

One of the girls suddenly snapped her fingers. "I got it! It's that Chou Chou dress from the Teen Vogue magazine! It's the newest this season!" She exclaimed, before everyone turned to Mayuki. "Mayuki-chan, that's the dress that was featured in your mother's shop!"

"…What shop?" I stuttered out.

"Oh, Kazama-san, didn't you know? Mayuki's mother is a professional dressmaker. She designs and sells Chou Chou dresses to private high street retailers and through the internet, too. This is her newest design, and it's all over the fashion magazines!" The girl turned to Mayuki, "And you didn't know?"

"You moron, of course I knew! I just didn't think it was really the dress! And you're wrong, I'm wearing this week's newest addition!" Mayuki snapped back, pointing to her own dress. But her face was red to match her ruby red nail varnish. Her eyes narrowed deeply and she stormed up to me, "Did you beg for it? I bet you, you did. How on earth could you afford it? These dresses cost a fortune!"

I scoffed at her. Wow, that was the most rudest thing I have ever heard. "For your information," I said, "I didn't beg for anything."

"_Oh really_?"

But I was saved by one of Mayuki's followers, insanely enough. "Don't listen to her; she's just jealous. Isn't that right, Mayuki?"

I stared in shock at the girl, while Mayuki just flushed and turned away in a huff. "Oh, _shut up_."

Immediately, the girls crowded me again, except from Mayuki, who just stood, looking somewhat dumbstruck that no-one was crowing around her a change, but then she finally jittered into action and stalked back to me and pushed some girls out of her way before stopping in front of me directly with this sudden, wide grin all over her face, "…Kazama Rin, you little liar! You had us all fooled! All this time you've been tricking us into thinking that you're just some slimy little cheapskate! But here you come waltzing into this dance in a Chou Chou dress! You're terrible!"

The rest of her followers cooed and giggled, and completely unused to the spotlight shining on me for once, I threw my gaze to the floor uncomfortably. "I-It's not like that. I'm not lying. You're mistaken." I murmured, but they just laughed.

"It'll tell you at the back. The label with the washing instructions."

I felt the back of my dress being pulled and someone dug out the label nearer the zip just at my mid-bank. I yelped at the sudden, unprovoked 'assault' but they ignored me. There was a silence. "Holy macaroni! It_** really**_ is Chou Chou!" They let go of me and I hobbled away from them uncomfortably.

"And you didn't even know," snickered Mayuki, "That's soooooo cute."

I didn't know if that was a compliment or not. It didn't sound like one. I blushed deeply and let them fuss over me more. Dad got me an expensive dress and I didn't even know… How lame could one get? Oh… right, I've never been into labels or fashion much…

"You said your dad got you it, right? Oh my gawwwd, we have a SECRET millionaire in our class for the whole entire year and we didn't even know! We have GOT to know more about you now."

"You said your dad got you it? Isn't he a locksmith?"

"H-He is."

"Did he, like, spend years saving for it? Did he have to, like, skip meals and go hungry and stuff just so he could get you it?"

"No!" I rebuked, "Of course not! My dad didn't have to do anything like that at all!"

"Oh, you guys are pathetic. _Shut up_. It's obvious she's minted. Rin-chan, why don't you hang with us from now on?" Mayuki giggled, before she looped arms with me and dragged me towards the drinks section. "It's so nice that you're wearing one of my mother's dresses. We finally have something in common. Let's have a toast to celebrate the start of a new friendship."

"No thanks – "

"Geez, Rin, you're really rude, you know." She suddenly snapped at me and I winced a little, "Why are you like that? What are you afraid of? Me? Why? I don't bite."

"I'm not afraid, Mayuki, I'm just – " I paused. Could I really say it? I'm suspicious. I'm worried. I'm anxious. I'm wary of them, because I think they'll do something. They're always up to no good, or so I think. Or maybe this time, they're genuine and they won't do anything to me. I don't know. I don't know why they're being nice and now even wanting to 'celebrate' a new friendship. "Nothing…" I mumbled out.

"Yes, so be quiet and do what I say." She said, and we stopped at the drinks before she thrust an empty polystyrene cup into my hand. "What do you want? There's orange juice, coke and lemonade."

"I'll have an orange juice, thanks."

She lifted up the bottle and emptied some orange juice into my cup before pouring some into her own cup. She lifted it up, smiling, "To a new friendship." She said, before she prompted me to lift up my own cup.

I looked at my cup reluctantly, then slowly raised it. Just then, I was actually naïve enough to think that I was being accepted for once until Mayuki's hand lashed out and everything was an orange blur, and all I knew was that I was suddenly dripping wet; shakily, I glanced down at myself to see that Mayuki had poured her cup all down the front of my dress and I had a few orange pips hanging off me. People at the drinks section stepped slightly, or looked up from their endeavours to see what had just happened.

Then, I heard her laughing.

"You're a liar." She sneered, replacing her empty cup on the table as I dripped a sticky mess all over the spot I was standing, "What kind of copycat stunt do you think you're pulling? You may have fooled them all, but you can't fool me. Obviously you saw the design and you liked it so you made one for yourself. You can never afford a dress like this – " She grabbed the bottom of my dress and gave it a big tug that I stumbled forwards somewhat. " – _**even**_ if you begged."

She continued holding onto the dress. "It looks identical to the one on sale… That's really good handiwork, Kazama Rin. Even the material feels real. You managed to copy the dress' design completely. You're a copycat. And no-one likes copycats. And do you know what else they call this? **Theft.** So not only are you a liar, but you're a THIEF, too."

I rubbed away the juice from my eyes, "I… I didn't copy it!" I retorted, my voice wavering, " - If you don't believe me, then why don't you ask your mom if she sold one to my dad? There should be a record!"

Mayuki blinked, but still looked confident in her own assertion anyway, "_Fine then_. Maybe I will. But until then, you're a little liar _**and**_ a thief." She snarled, before she burst into mocking peals of laughter.

I hurried out of the dance hall, trying to blot out the noise, trying to blot out the whispers and stares that I got while trying to dry my eyes at the same time.

I couldn't believe this.

Not only had dad bought me an expensive dress, he'd bought one from Mayuki's _**mom's shop**_ – out of all the places where he could've bought a dress for me!

_Why do these things keep happening to me? What did I do to deserve this? I could ask that a thousand times and I still won't get the answer. All I know is that it's never fair for me at all!_

I wanted to go home.  
I wanted to leave.  
I wanted to go back home and hide in bed and never come out.

_HOW WORSE CAN MY LIFE GET?_

Suddenly, a hand suddenly grabbed me from behind and dragged me backwards. Screaming and flailing, I threw my gaze up only to see Hibari. What the - ?

"Herbivore." He barked, "Why'd you let that girl throw juice over you?"

"What's it to you?" I snapped back; I really hated the fact that Hibari was seeing me like this at the precise moment. "What do you want? Are you going to laugh? Are you going to insult me ag - "

Hibari suddenly slapped his sleeve against my orange-juiced cheek and I paused, as he wiped away at a few pips and mascara and I stared at him wide-eyed in shock. He continued to mop me dry, then grabbed my arm and dragged me closer to him, just so he could get the rest of my face.

"I don't understand." I said out loud.

He stepped back, smirking, and then – Hibari's eye colour suddenly changed to blue, and back to the usual shade. "What do you not understand?"

Sigh.  
I knew it was too good to be true.

Although… having a sort-of nice Hibari would've been nice now and then.

Before he could land a blow on my neck like last time, I ducked and hopped back a foot away. "You're not Hibari." I said, "It's you, isn't it? **Rai**."

Hibari… no, the Shapeshifter, brushed a hand through his Hibari-hair and sighed. "WHAT? How is it that you can keep seeing through my illusions?"

At the precise moment, I had completely forgotten everything Reborn had told and taught me. Panic does that to you. Regardless I side-stepped away him in an attempt to escape and run out of the corridor and back to the dance hall.

"Hold it right there! And where do you think you're going?" He said, before he grabbed my wrists and spun me around that I suddenly became caught in a policeman's arrest.

"Noooooo!" I screamed, as he hauled me further down the corridor. He removed his Hibari-disguise immediately, and I stared back at a familiar pair of blue eyes blinking at me. The only thing different was his hair, which was combed away out of his eyes and slightly shorter. He was in a white vest, exposing a large black, twisting and coiling tattoo running over his entire left arm, with a dogtag hanging around his neck, his hoodie was wrapped around his waist. _The shapeshifter._

"I can't believe it…" I spluttered out in shock, temporarily forgetting that I was crying and covered in orange juice and my mascara was starting to dribble down my cheeks in black blurs.

"Miss me?" He said, grinning down at me mischievously.

"….I thought you were dead…."

"Dead? Haha, you wish." He replied with a snicker, "Let's go somewhere quiet. Me and you – we got some unfinished business. And this time, your vampire boyfriend won't be interrupting."

* * *

Thanks for the reviews... although i really had no intention to continue this story. But I thought I should at least get to this point. Rai's not dead. Yes really. He's a bluffer and he's a drama queen xD I've drawn too many pictures of him on deviantart to let his character go to waste xDD


	20. A Spring Dance to Remember, Part II

**Chapter 20**

_A Spring Dance to Remember, Part II_

He proceeded to drag me out of the fire exit even though I kicked and flailed under his grip violently. Rai said, "Can't have you screaming for help now."

My cries were muffled and blotted out as soon as he clamped a hand over my mouth; I jerked and wriggled around, but to no avail. Quick! I tried to remember what Reborn taught me….. ahhhh, now that something's actually happening to me, I've completely forgotten! Why am I so goddamn useless?

"By the way, why did you let that psychotic chick dump her drink over you?" He added, "You can take on us big bad hitmen, but you let bullies walk all over you? That doesn't even make any sense."

I stopped and blinked up at him, then glanced away, embarrassed.

The shapeshifter dragged me out of the school and rounded into the back and into the parking lot, arriving behind two large black cars. I glanced around nervously, realising the streets surrounding the school were entirely empty and devoid of civilisation; this was insane. There were teachers here. There were pupils here. The committee were here. Hibari was here. What were they trying to pull?

"You can scream all you want now," said Rai, as he pulled his hand from my mouth, "But no-one's going to hear you because the music's too loud." He suddenly gave me a brief tug and I realised we had come to a stop; I paled drastically as soon as two familiar figures approach us from the shadows.

It was Haku.

He was wearing an unbuttoned grey jacket with the sleeves rolled up, exposing a white shirt underneath a black waistcoat over a pair of ripped, dark washed jeans **(1)**. On his back, were four different holsters carrying his four katanas.

He smiled at me as he dug his hands into his pockets, "It's nice to see you again, Rin."

Tch, curse these bad guys and their awesome fashion sense…! I didn't recognise the small girl standing beside him. She was rather short… maybe about Yura's height… and she had dull-looking, tired and half-lidded eyes and a pallid complexion, looking somewhat miserable. Her attire consisted of a short bomber jacket and long tunic over a pair of black leggings and ankle ugg-boots with fluffy rims. A knitted beanie hat with a cat's face and whiskers and ears sat slumped over her long brown hair.

"Evie, hold her down." Haku instructed, without even looking at her.

"Yes, Haku-sama." The girl monotonously replied – and I remembered her voice – she was the girl who in the basement along with Rai the other day. She stepped forwards, took me off from Rai and she grabbed me by the back of my neck with one hand and the other clasping my arms together behind my back. She pressed me down, forcing me onto my knees in front of Haku. I struggled fiercely just to get back up, but the girl had brutal grip… and some strength to match. I remained kneeling down.

"Is there a reason why she's covered in orange juice?" Haku asked.

"She let some ugly muskrat throw juice over her." Rai replied, and Haku raised an eyebrow while I blushed. "Can we make this quick? She's attracting flies."

"What's going on?" I asked, still cringing like mad as a phat, hairy black fly hovered near me. I went cross-eyed as it lingered near my nose. Why are all bugs with wings like that? Why are they so in-your-face? I quickly snapped out of musings to focus on the hitmen in front of me. "And how come you're not dead?"

Rai rose an eyebrow. "You honestly think you'd outtrick a trickster?" He snickered and lit a cigarette, before puffing some smoke out into the air.

I didn't understand, and it seemed he wasn't intent on telling me more.

Haku walked towards me and I tried to shrink away. "Perhaps you'd like to know why we're all here tonight. It can end in tears and bloodshed, it may not. It's up to you." He kneeled down in front of me and smiled wider.

"…What do you mean?"

"It's because you are the unfortunate daughter of Innocenti. Your fate was already decided for you." He murmured, as I eyed the four katanas that were strapped on his back cautiously as he stood back up, "…But you have the power to change that. I'll give you a chance to live. This is why we have come tonight."

And why do bad guys have to be so cryptic?

He said, "I'm giving you a choice, Rin - to join our ranks. The Society can put you to good use. You defeated Yura and Rai. Not everyone can do that; I specifically chose them. Therefore, you have some potential - which you must have realised by now, has been denied to you all this time by your very own father." At that point, Rai, who was standing beside Haku, let out a scoff. But Haku ignored him. "You can't possibly believe you can fight us all by yourself. That would be suicide"

I looked from him, then to Rai and finally, up to the girl called Evie who was gazing down at me with an impassive expression; I didn't think I would get out of this alive either way. "And what do you mean by 'join'?"

"Exactly what it means." Haku replied, "However, the fact that your father remains prosecuted cannot be changed."

"…I don't understand what you're trying to say."

Haku smiled then, "Rin, if you join the Society, you can escape from this. You don't have to be tangled with your father's messes."

"You're telling me if I join… Then… you guys won't come after me anymore?"

"I assure you, if you accept my offer; you won't get hurt."

"…What about my dad?"

"I'm sorry, this is a job we have accepted and we have to finish it. Your dad will be on our hit-list no matter what."

"Are you crazy? No way! I won't join! I'd rather die than join you people! If you think I'd join…you'd…you thought wrong! I won't betray my father, either! What kind of person do you think I am?"

Haku raised an eyebrow. Then he sighed.

"_Who are you_?" I demanded, "Who exactly are you, Haku? And why are you doing this anyway? WHY? What did we ever do to you?"

He gazed down at me coldly, then - "Because this is a personal request from someone very dear to me."

_Personal request? Someone dear?_ Like…._Koenig_?

He sighed once more. "Well…since you declined my offer... that is unfortunate." He murmured, glancing off to the far end of the car park, before he slowly slid his gaze back to me, "You did have some potential, Rin, I'll admit that. It's a shame to see talent being wasted."

"Be quiet! You don't know anything about me!"

Haku turned away from me then. "I think I will pick…" He said, and he unsheathed one katana out from its holster, fingering the lithe blade with his fingertip gently, "_Nocturne_."

Suddenly -

"What?"

It was Rai. He sounded confused. I wasn't going to wait to be executed; I thrashed more violently against the girl called Evie. "…N-No, _let me go_…!" I screamed, struggling and flailing around. This is crazy! Where is Hibari? And the committee? They should be here – no, I can't afford them to get hurt… Haku and the others are way out of their league. They're professional hitmen! They won't have mercy! I don't want anyone to get hurt because of me…

"What's the matter, Rai?" Haku asked, his smile had vanished from his features, replaced with a calculating frown.

Rai stepped in front of me all of a sudden. "I thought we were just to capture her _**alive **_and bring her to the society, Haku. It didn't matter if she didn't wanted to join us or not."

"No." Haku swung the katana in front of me, the tip of the blade pointing down to the ground. "She is to be executed. Any offspring of Innocenti is to be eliminated. Since she refuses to be part of the Society, then she is at risk at exposing the Society's existence and our secrets. That, I cannot allow to happen. Move out of the way, Rai."

Rai stared wide-eyed at him, then glanced over his shoulder, to me. I stared up at him wordlessly, shaking my head and my lip wobbling. He gritted his teeth slightly, as he turned back to Haku. "…You can't. She' just – "

"She's just _What_?" Haku suddenly interjected impatiently, "….You've never thought twice when it comes to other targets." He snapped, yet now he was smiling despicably at him. That smile. That goddamn smile. I wanted to wipe it off. Haku turned to me, knelt down beside me again and lifted my face up to Rai, his long fingers gripping my chin. "Ahh, I see, you've fallen for our target. Yes, she does seem to have some kind charm. How cute."

I tried to bite him but he evaded quickly, as if expecting me to lash out.

"Are you sure you want to be taunting me like that, Rin? Aren't you afraid of death?" He murmured, while I flinched and whimpered loudly, squeezing my eyes shut tightly. Yeah, maybe I really shouldn't have done that….

Rai stood his ground. "Let her go, Haku. She's just a kid." He stepped back over to me and Haku let go of my face, standing back up. Meanwhile, Evie watched a little helplessly from the sidelines.

"Kid or not, they're all the same."

"We've never had a target as young as her."

Haku raised an eyebrow. _"Get out of the way, Rai_." His voice was cold. Hard. Ruthless. "…Or else you will force my hand on you, too."

Again, there was another brief pause, before Rai slowly stepped away from his spot in front of me.

I let out a squeak and a tear dripped from the corner of my eye. I was stupid enough to think that maybe someone would save me, as they always do. I waited for Black Suit Purple Shirt Guy to come hurtling from the door and pummel them to oblivion, or Hibari, with his tonfas, to start growling 'herbivore' and biting them to death. And I was stupid enough to think that Haku wasn't really going to kill me, and that this was just one really horrendous nightmare that didn't make any sense, but –

Haku brought the blade down.

I screamed and closed my eyes to brace for the upcoming impact, but I was shoved and my back fell against the cold, concrete ground - someone had lunged in front of me just as the katana was about to pierce through and I looked up, to see….

Hibari?

No, not Hibari.

_Rai…?_

I gawked at him mutely in shock, then at the katana embedded in his back, with Haku still holding it. Horrified, my mouth fell open, as he looked down at me, smiling, a little weakly.

"… You okay?"

"You - " I croaked out, staring wide-eyed at him. "Wh...Why did you…?"

Evie's jaw dropped, as she stared at us both on the ground. She had let go of me. "….Rai…."

"Rai, what do you think you're doing?(!)" Haku snarled at him angrily, withdrawing his blade immediately.

Rai looked over his shoulder, to glance up at his leader. He winced slightly, "…I'm sorry, Haku, but this time, our target …" He said, a trickle of sweat dripping from his forehead. "…Something's not right here, Haku. We're going against orders if we kill her."

"And why would you care? Why do you care for this girl?"

But Rai ignored him and smiled at me reassuringly. "It's okay, you're safe now. I won't let him hurt you."

Haku frowned fiercely and raised his katana again. "… I see. Then you can perish with her – "

"_**Stop**_!"

He paused, turning to the fire exit to see Kusakabe rushing towards us, followed by a bunch of other Disciplinary Committee members, about eight to ten. But where was Hibari? "Stop, intruders!" Kusakabe yelled, "I don't know what school you guys are from, but we don't appreciate you coming to harass our students and ruin our Spring Dance!" Kusakabe yelled furiously. "Hibari-sama! We found them! And Kazama-san's here, too!"

Sensing Haku's preoccupation with the committee, Rai grabbed my arm and lifted me up beside him. "Come on, let's get outta here while we have the chance!"

"W-What?"

"If you want to live, you need to come with me right now!"

"With you?"

He grabbed me by the shoulder and spun me to face him fully, "Listen, you little brat, I know you don't like me, and I don't like you either, but you and I don't have much of a choice here – "

"Hey you! The one with the tattoo! Get away from Kazama-san!" Kusakabe was suddenly yelling, pointing at Rai accusingly. "And stop smoking on schoolgrounds, too! That's against the rules!"

"Tch!" Rai grunted, cradling his bleeding side with one hand, and I didn't know how to respond, except look down at his wound where blood was spurting out helplessly. He got hurt because of me… He didn't wait for another response, but let go of his wound and grabbed my wrist, before bursting into a quick sprint towards the exit of the carpark.

"You're making a mistake here, Rai." Haku snarled before he lunged at us once more, "I won't let you two escape - "

I screamed just when Rai threw himself in front of me again, but this time, there was a loud clang of steel and I gasped loudly when I saw Hibari standing in front of us with his tonfas blocking Haku's assault. Haku smirked cruelly, "Oh? What have we here? More reinforcements?"

"Are you the leader?" Hibari snarled back at him.

Haku raised an eyebrow at Hibari, before they withdrew and Hibari landed beside me and Rai, and Haku beside Evie, now pointing his sword towards Hibari's face "…To spare the introductions…I already know who you are. _Hibari Kyouya_. And I know all about how much you like to bite mischievous little herbivores to death."

Hibari growled at him furiously in return, "Why have you come here?"

"You know very well why we are here. But it seems our target has been stolen away from us by one of our former members… "

Hibari smirked. "Betrayed, were you?"

Haku's smile vanished immediately, replaced with a dark look. He thrust his sword down in another attack but Hibari blocked and the sound of clashing weapons resonated in the night. Hibari bounded back again, so did Haku.

Hibari turned to us then, "How is that you attract trouble wherever you are, Kazama?" He barked at me, before he turned to Rai. "_You_. I thought we killed you."

Rai blinked slowly back at him, "Yeah, you can just keep thinking that."

"Let go of her."

"Pftt. I just saved your girlfriend while you were canoodling off somewhere, half-pint."

Hibari and I tensed up immediately. "He's not my boyfriend!" I shouted, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Let go of her." Hibari intervened immediately in this three-way conversation, glaring at Rai's hand which was wrapped around my wrist tightly.

"I think you got other important things to worry about – " Rai said, pointing behind him just as Haku came at us full throttle. I screamed, just as Hibari blocked an attack with his tonfa. "C'mon! Let's get outta here!" Rai yelled, trying to tug me along with him out of the carpark.

I glanced back helplessly from Rai to Hibari, and back. "I can't just leave Hibari behind!" I wailed, and Rai stopped, gritted his teeth. He brushed a hand through his hair, muttered a foreign curse under his breath, glared at me thoroughly, then looked side and side as if he was stuck in some mental debate, and then…

He let go.

"Alright then, if you want to get killed by Haku, be my guest!" Without another word, he turned away and began limping out of the carpark by his lonesome towards freedom.

"Heeeey!" I yelped, but I was grabbed back by Kusakabe who had hurriedly made his way over along with the other Committee members, forming a circle around us. I glanced around, completely unused to the Committee surrounding me _protectively_. Or were they just doing so because Hibari was conveniently standing beside me?

"Kazama-san! Are you okay?" He exclaimed.

"H-Huh? Oh…. Yeah… I guess…" I said, watching Rai's retreating back._ He's running away…. _

Still trying to pry off Haku's attack, Hibari unsheathed his remaining tonfa from under his jacket. "This herbivore belongs to me." He said, and the Committee members nodded in unison.

"Hibari Kyouya's head is mine." Haku commanded to Evie, before his eyes landed on me. I froze up all over and tried to hide behind Kusakabe and his big hair. Haku added, "Those little vultures around the prey are yours."

Evie bowed her head slightly, her eyes closed. "Hai, Haku-sama."

Hibari didn't even bat an eyelid, "The rest of you deal with the other girl. Kusakabe, you get Kazama away from here. _Don't make me repeat myself_."

"Yessir!" The remaining Disciplinary Committee members saluted him and turned to face Evie who blinked back at them morosely.

She quickly dashed to the left, only to be blocked off by three committee members who laughed raucously and leered at her as they stepped closer to her. She quickly hurried to the right, only to come to a jarring halt when four circled her slowly. She inched away as they closed round, cornering her that her back touched the wall of the gymnasium.

"Get her!" They yelled, and they all lunged at the same time just as Evie threw her arms over her head and –

I didn't see what happened as Kusakabe quickly began to escort me away from the carpark; Rai was no nowhere to be seen. Kusakabe was muttering, "I don't know what's going on, but…"

"Not so fast!" Haku yelled, diving for us until Hibari stopped him in time by blocking once again with his tonfas. "Hmph. Tonfas." Haku sneered, applying more force on his blade with only one hand, "I've come across many like you."

"Spare it, I'm not interested in my opponents."

Haku smirked at him. "Then this is why you won't win this fight. If you don't care to learn more about your opponent, they'll take you by surprise, like this – " In a split second, Haku vanished and came behind Hibari – he defended against Haku's attack but was a second late the blade slipped past and Hibari ducked. But then Haku came to a halt in his action, and raised his blade in front of him evenly.

I watched in horror. _He stopped… What's he going to do? _My question was answered when -

"Tsubame gaeshi." Haku said calmly, and he made a vertical swipe with his blade in both hands without allowing Hibari a chance to counter; a fierce hurricane of orange light came hurtling out from the blade, ripping away at the tar of the carpark, the impact sending a few cars flying into the air in process.

I yelped at the sight, as Kusakabe and a few Committee members leapt back as a shadow of a car hovered above us dangerously. We immediately jumped to the side safely. Hibari narrowly evaded by diving to the left, and landed back crookedly with a grunt, and the orange light barrelled upwards from the ground and into the sky, before boomeranging backwards, as if it was sucked back into Haku's blade, dissolving into the steel as quick as a flash of lightning.

My eyes bulged at the sight. "What the heck was that?"

When the dust finally cleared, the road of the carpark was completely destroyed just as a few cars crashed back down to earth. "For damaging school property and the headmaster's car, I will make sure you pay." Hibari snarled, gazing at the tarnished road.

"I'd like to see you try." Haku said, before he returned to another offensive stance.

Kusaabe let out an impatient sigh again. "Come on, let's go. Hibari-sama can manage himself." He diverted me further away from the carpark towards the front of the school. Just before we left, I threw a glance at the battling duo. I hope Hibari's okay…

"Ciaossu, Rin."

At the sound of the voice, Kusakabe and I looked up.

"It's a nice evening tonight. But it seems I arrived here a little too late." The voice added.

"Reborn!" I yelped, as my gaze landed at the edge of the rooftop of the gym warehouse. Reborn had a pair of binoculars dangling from his neck and a sniper rifle that was being supported by a tripod stand, aiming directly at Hibari and Haku… speaking of those two, Hibari was too preoccupied with Haku to notice.

"What's a baby doing here…?" Kusakabe murmured.

I noticed in Reborn's hand, was a little green bomb with two blinking eyes. "…Uh…What's that?"

"I think that's enough drama for one day, don't you think? Time to wrap things up." Reborn said, before he pulled on a pair of sunglasses over his eyes and dislodged the ring out of the Leon grenade –

"No, Reborn, wait! We're down here too!"

- and he chucked it down towards Kusakabe, Hibari and Haku and me and the rest of the Committee and Kusakabe and I stared at the Leon bomb as it sailed silently throw the air in slow motion, falling down and down… and down… and when it touched the ground -

…Everything went white.

**Meanwhile.**

The airplane was quiet.

They were only three hours away from Japan, and the two men sitting in the middle aisle were quietly conversing with each other while the other passengers slept soundly in their seats. The oldest man out of the two, perhaps in his late twenties, had shoulder-length brown hair and crimson eyes. A jagged, almost invisible scar ran down his forehead and over his left eye, stopping nearer his cheek. His name was Reeve, and he was tampering with his iPad until a message popped up on one of the windows he had opened.

"Hm?" He murmured, with an eyebrow raised, "It seems Haku has a predicament with Innocenti's daughter, and Rai."

The tawny-haired young man sitting beside him glanced up from his magazine. "…Predicament? Like what?"

"It seems Rai has betrayed them." said Reeve, with a frown. "Looks like Haku did the right thing to contact me. I'll set that student of mine back to the right path."

* * *

Thanks for the reviews! I'm still deciding whether to continue with this story or not, but anyway -

**Notes:**

1. This is Haku's 'alternate' outfit.

2. Tsubame gaeshi is supposed to be a counter move. In here, it is a long range projectile attack. Haku is the sky attribute so his moves will have…. Orange stuff, I guess

3. Rin blacks out at the end of this chapter

4. The names of the hitmen aren't really a mystery anymore - Reeve, and the other guy is Touya - I drew a picture of Touya last year O.o A picture of Reeve is up to but it's pretty outdated; his scar is a bit of a harry potter scar, being thunderbolt shaped and all. It was such a long time ago since I updated o.O


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